NCRI Women's Committee

Iranian women have continuously shaped and led the resistance against the regime over four decades through a series of courageous acts, protests, and unwavering defiance, often facing extreme violence and persecution. Early Defiance against Mandatory Hijab: Just weeks after the mullahs' religious dictatorship was formed, Iranian women led massive protests in Tehran on March 8, 1979, against t...

Iranian nurses are increasingly being forced out of the profession they once served with courage and sacrifice. Chronic structural crises and the regime’s neglect of their demands have led many to quit or seek refuge abroad . Women make up more than 80% of Iran’s nursing workforce. Not only do they endure grueling shifts and emotional exhaustion, but they also face systemic gender discrimination ....

6 Million Female Heads of Household: Unsupported and Voiceless When Being a Woman Is a Crime, and Earning Bread Is a Battle As daily living conditions worsen for the general public and state repression intensifies, the situation for female heads of household, one of the most vulnerable segments of Iranian society, continues to deteriorate on all fronts. The number of women who are the sole provide...

Iran is witnessing a steep rise in child labor, particularly in urban centers like Tehran, as economic hardship intensifies and state protection systems continue to falter. On the World Day Against Child Labor , June 12, we shed light on the tragic situation of child laborers in Iran. In May 2024, Soudabeh Najafi, a Tehran City Council member and head of its Health Committee, described the presenc...

Derrière les discours de progrès se cache une crise d’épuisement, de discrimination de genre et d’émigration massive dans le système de santé iranien Le gouvernement affirme une baisse de l’émigration des infirmières en pleine crise Selon les médias officiels, le ministre iranien de la Santé, Mohammadreza Zafarghandi, a déclaré lors d’une réunion du cabinet, le mercredi 28 mai, qu’il y avait eu un...

The Iranian legal system not only fails to protect women from gender-based violence— it actively enables it . Survivors of domestic abuse face a maze of bureaucratic obstacles, from police inaction to ineffective forensic procedures, all within a system that places the burden of proof entirely on the victim. Legal provisions that should help women are routinely ignored, while courts and police ref...

Behind the Claims of Progress Lies a Crisis of Burnout, Gender Discrimination, and Mass Emigration in Iran’s Healthcare System Government Claims Drop in Nurse Emigration Amid Crisis According to state-run media, the Iranian Health Minister, Mohammadreza Zafarghandi, claimed during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, May 28, that there has been a “significant reduction in the emigration of nurses, doct...

Within the oppressive walls of Dowlatabad Prison in Isfahan, a harrowing tale of suffering and exploitation unfolds, largely hidden from the public eye. Located near venues like Fadak Hall and the Juvenile Correction and Rehabilitation Center, this prison is not only plagued by dire sanitary conditions and inhumane living circumstances but has also become a site of systematic exploitation of femal...

 Adelabad Prison, located in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, is notorious for its long-standing violations of human rights. This grim institution houses political, ideological, and general prisoners under conditions that reflect a systematic disregard for human dignity. Reports from former inmates reveal inhumane treatment, rampant torture, and appalling living conditions, especially in the w...

New official statistics reveal a deepening employment crisis in Iran, particularly for young women. The figures—published by the state-run Eghtesad News on May 15, 2025—show that unemployment among women aged 20 to 24 has reached a staggering 34.9%. The data, compiled by the National Statistical Center (NSC), underscores a bleak labor market that disproportionately penalizes the country’s youth an...

 Rural women migrants in Chabahar are trapped between environmental collapse and a regime that refuses to see them. Their suffering is systemic. Chabahar’s women aren’t asking for much—just survival with dignity. After fleeing drought and devastation, they were promised jobs and housing. Instead, they got slums, silence, and shame.   In Chabahar’s slums, 70,000 migrants live in sewage-lined street...

In just 15 days, Iran witnessed at least 9 cases of femicide in Iran—women brutally murdered as victims of domestic abuse, so-called honor killings, and the chronic failures of protective institutions. Each of these killings is a human tragedy, yet they are often lost in official statistics and gradually normalized in the public conscience. The relentless recurrence of such crimes is not the resul...

For most students around the world, the start of a new school year brings a sense of renewal and excitement for learning. However, many Iranian children are grappling with challenges that threaten their future. Economists report that, for the first time in 75 years, Iran’s impoverished population has doubled in just three years — an alarming development unprecedented in the nation’s planning histo...

In questo podcast, mettiamo in luce il modello costante e allarmante di lavoro forzato e abusi sistemici nei confronti delle donne detenute in diverse strutture carcerarie in Iran, tra cui il carcere di Vakilabad (Mashhad), il carcere di Sepidar (Ahvaz), il carcere di Qarchak e il carcere di Tabriz. Queste pratiche violano direttamente gli standard internazionali dei diritti umani e rivelano un de...

In this podcast, we shed light on the consistent and alarming pattern of forced labor and systemic abuse targeting female prisoners across multiple facilities in Iran, including Vakilabad Prison (Mashhad), Sepidar Prison (Ahvaz), Qarchak Prison, and Tabriz Prison. These practices are in direct violation of international human rights standards and highlight a deliberate disregard for the dignity an...

Dans ce podcast, nous mettons en lumière le schéma constant et alarmant du travail forcé et des abus systémiques visant les femmes détenues dans plusieurs établissements pénitentiaires en Iran, notamment les prisons de Vakilabad (Mashhad), Sepidar (Ahvaz), Qarchak et Tabriz. Ces pratiques sont en violation directe des normes internationales des droits humains et illustrent un mépris délibéré pour...

“Elimination of Violence against Women,” “ Provision of Security for Women against Violence,” “ Protection, Dignity, and Provision of Security for Ladies Against Violence,” “ Protection of Dignity and Support for Women Against Violence,” and now “Preventing Women from Harm and Improving Their Security Against Abuse ,” are all iterations of a single proposed bill in Iran. For more than 13 years, th...

When discussing female heads of household, several key groups come to mind: widows , divorcees, the wives of addicted men, the spouses of incarcerated individuals, the wives of migrant workers, single self-sustaining women, and the wives of disabled or incapacitated men. All these women are compelled to support and manage their families. Meanwhile, the laws of the clerical regime in Iran officiall...

In recent years, the economic crisis in Iran has deepened, with poverty now affecting over 30% of the population by the end of the Persian year 1403 (March 2025), according to official figures. However, according to unofficial estimates, around 80% of the population in Iran lives below the poverty line and cannot consume 2,100 calories a day; this means over 72 million people are living in poverty...

Un regard sur la situation des travailleuses en Iran Les femmes travailleuses en Iran, aux mains calleuses et aux corps épuisés, portent le poids des inégalités sociales et de genre imposées par le régime clérical. Dans le système juridique iranien, les femmes ne sont pas reconnues comme cheffes de famille. Pourtant, elles sont contraintes de travailler de longues heures, bien au-delà de la durée...

Uno sguardo sulla situazione delle lavoratrici in Iran Le donne lavoratrici in Iran, con le mani callose e i corpi esausti, portano il peso delle disuguaglianze sociali e di genere imposte dal regime clericale. Nel sistema giuridico iraniano, le donne non sono riconosciute come capofamiglia. Tuttavia, sono costrette a lavorare per molte ore, ben oltre l’orario legale, in officine e laboratori di p...

In less than a month (24 days), Iran has witnessed a shocking wave of domestic violence that has left at least 21 women dead across various cities. These killings—many carried out with extreme brutality, some in public spaces or in front of children—highlight the urgent crisis of gender-based violence and the absence of effective legal and social protections for women in Iran. Most of the murders...

Welcome to this special episode, where we shed light on a harrowing but deeply important issue: the silent killing of political prisoners in Iran through systematic medical neglect. Today, we focus on a disturbing strategy used by the Iranian regime—denying life-saving medical treatment to imprisoned dissidents, particularly women, as a means of punishment and control. In this episode, we’ll explo...

In this episode, we'll be looking at two distinct but perhaps connected situations. First, the chronic struggles faced by female workers across the country, and second, a recent deadly explosion in Bandar Abbas. Reports indicate that women in Iran face significant gender and social inequalities imposed by the clerical regime. Despite often being essential household breadwinners, they aren&apo...

Mahnaz Javan-Khoshdel is the sister of Mostafa Javan-Khoshdel , one of the 13 honored martyrs on April 19 in Paris. Her presence deeply moved the crowd. Holding a photograph of her brother’s skull, marked by the execution bullet, alongside his portrait, she delivered a deeply emotional speech. Her words echoed pain, defiance, and a relentless demand for justice — a voice for the families who, half...