Fråga-svar Tvångsgifte i Iran

2012-10-08
Fråga-svar
Tvångsgifte i Iran
Fråga
Hur ser de iranska myndigheterna på tvångsgifte?
Är det vanligt förekommande?
Är det mer förekommande hos någon folkgrupp?
Svar
Sammanställning av information från olika källor:
Amnesty International (2012):
The Special Rapporteur on violence against women
recommended that the Iranian authorities should ―prevent
forced and early marriage‖ and also should ―ensure that
women have equal rights to enter into marriage and
during the marriage relationship, as well as at its
dissolution‖ (s. 2)
US Department of State (2012):
Children
Child Marriage: The law requires court approval for the
marriage of girls younger than 13 and boys younger than
15, but it was reportedly not unusual in rural areas for
parents to have their children marry before they became
teenagers, often for economic reasons. The age of
criminal responsibility for girls is nine years, while the
law does not consider boys criminally responsible until
age 15. For example, if a 12-year-old girl accused a 14year-old boy of rape, the 12-year-old girl would face any
criminal penalties alone. Sex outside of marriage is
Sida 1 av 7
illegal and is punishable by death, although the media
reported that the common punishment was imprisonment
and lashing. In December the director general of the
Census Bureau in Hormozgan announced that there had
been five marriages of girls under age 10 in his province.
The government did not investigate these cases or begin
any prevention campaigns, as these marriages were not
considered illegal.
Sexual Exploitation of Children:
Children were trafficked within the country for
commercial sexual exploitation, sometimes through
forced marriages in which girls’ new ―husbands‖ forced
them into prostitution and involuntary servitude as
beggars or laborers to pay debts, provide income, or
support drug addiction of their families. The government
did not report any law enforcement efforts during the
year to punish trafficking offenders and continued to lack
any victim protection measures.
Home Office (2011):
23.28 In practice, however, very young or widowed
women, particularly those living in provincial and rural
areas, may be forced into marriage either out of poverty
or based on traditional and tribal customs. Although men
may also be forced into marriage by their families, rural
girls are far more susceptible to such practices. (s. 186)
Organisation suisse d’aide aux réfugiés, OSAR (2011):
3. Existe-t-il des possibilités effectives de recours
contre les mariages forcés?
Le mariage dans la loi iranienne. La loi iranienne
approuve le mariage des jeunes filles à partir de 13 ans
(au préalable l’âge était de 9 ans) et des garçons à partir
de 15 ans.74 Toutefois, des mariages peuvent être
contractés également pour des enfants en-dessous de cet
âge si le père ou le grand-père demandent une permission
à la Cour.75
Les mariages forcés. L’art. 1070 du code civil requièrt
le consentement mutuel de la mariée et du marié pour que
le contrat soit valide.76 Toutefois, en pratique, de très
jeunes femmes ou des femmes veuves, surtout en
province ou dans des régions rurales, peuvent être forcées
à se marier soit en raison de la pauvreté, soit en raison de
coutumes traditionnelles.77 Différentes sources
d’information s’accordent sur le fait que les mariages
forcés continuent d’exister en Iran, notamment dans les
regions plus traditionnelles du pays.78
Possibilités de recours contre un mariage forcé. Si un
mariage est arrangé pour une fille de moins de 13 ans et
que certains membres de la famille ne sont pas d’accord
avec ce mariage, il existe selon la loi une possibilité pour
que ces derniers portent plainte à la Cour. Selon les
informations d’une personne de contact, avec un bon
avocat, il est alors possible de s’opposer à un mariage
forcé.79 Toutefois, le père peut toujours demander une
permission spéciale à la Cour et le juge peut legalizer et
permettre le mariage.80 En ce qui concerne les
possibilités de recours effectif contre un mariage forcé
pour une jeune femme de plus de 13 ans, les deux avocats
contactés dans le cadre de cette recherche sont du même
avis: c’est le père qui décide si sa fille doit se marier et il
n’est pas possible de porter plainte auprès d’une Cour,
d’autant plus s’il s’agit du premier mariage de la jeune
fille.81 Selon une personne de contact, une jeune femme
peut essayer de régler l’affaire en s’opposant à l’intérieur
de la famille, mais légalement aucun recours n’est
possible.82 L’art. 1043 du code civil stipule en effet
qu’une femme adulte ne peut se marier qu’avec le
consentement de son père (ou de son grand-père).83
Finalement, pour des questions d’honneur, les femmes et
les jeunes filles qui s’opposent à un mariage forcé
peuvent courir le risque d’être assassinées par un membre
de leur famille.84 Amnesty International fait également
référence à des femmes qui se sont immolées parce
qu’elles avaient été victimes de violences ou en raison de
mariages forcés.85 (s. 10)
UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (2011):
A number of worrying practices remained common in
Iran, including forced marriages, temporary marriages,
and the legal right of a husband to polygamy without his
wife’s consent – or even knowledge. In addition, a
woman has limited rights within marriage, including
being unable to refuse sexual relations with her husband.
The Protection of Family Bill, which further limits a
number of a wife’s rights within a marriage, continues to
be discussed in the Iranian parliament. (s. 211)
Freedom house (2010):
Women’s rights Iran is a heterogeneous country
combining many ethnic, religious, tribal, and regional
crosscurrents. Although the majority of the population
are Persian Shiites, ethnic minorities—including Azeris,
Gilaki and Mazandarani, Kurds, Arabs, Lurs, Baloch,
Turkmens, and others—make up a signifi cant portion of
the population. Women belonging to certain groups may
face unique constraints imposed by their culture or
religious denomination. Some patriarchal practices and
gender-related restrictions against women, such as ―honor
killings‖ and forced marriage, are more prevalent in the
more impoverished and less developed provinces largely
populated by ethnic minorities such as Arabs and Kurds.
Women are protected by law from harmful traditional
practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and
forced marriage.
Daily News (2010):
Human rights violations in Iran were brought to light
once again last week when a United Nations committee
voted to censure the nation for widespread abuses,
including what they deemed "pervasive gender inequality
and violence against women."
Perhaps one of the most troubling and culturally
ingrained of these abuses is the practice of child marriage
- which not only plagues the Islamic Republic, but is all
too common around the world. The humanitarian
organization CARE estimates that "more than 60 million
girls under the age of 18 are married, many to men twice
their age or older."
Born in a remote village in Iran, I know this subject
intimately. My mother and two eldest sisters were child
brides. At 13, I narrowly escaped the same fate and
embarked on uncharted territory - a high school
education.
The majority of these young brides endure spousal abuse
in a blanket of darkness, isolated from their birth
families. A child bride's instinct to run away is often met
with horrific consequences. If a child bride leaves her
husband's home, she risks retaliation from both her
husband's family and her birth family.
For the bride's family, having a daughter that has run
away from her husband's home brings shame onto the
entire family. The bride's virtue is automatically called
into question, and she is labeled as promiscuous and
disobedient. Ultimately, the perceived shame for the birth
family will become unbearable, until finally, a male in
the family will seek to bring back the family's honor by
killing the source of the pain: the young bride.
Forced marriage is different from arranged marriage,
which is common in many countries. In an arranged
marriage, both bride and groom consent to the marriage.
But how can a 13-year-old girl consent to such an
obviously adult institution? Child brides lack the maturity
to consent, making all child marriages forced marriages.
Imagine a young bride, excited to wear a new dress on
her wedding night, completely oblivious to the
consummation (rape) awaiting her at night's end.
Amnesty International (2008):
Early and forced marriage
Forced marriage at a young age remains common for
Kurdish girls in Iran. In fact, the practice appears to have
become more common in recent years because of
growing poverty – families believe that such marriages
offer the most secure future for their daughters.
In contrast to an arranged marriage, which does not
involve compulsion, a forced marriage is any marriage
conducted without the free and knowing consent of both
parties. It may involve coercion, mental abuse, emotional
pressure, and intense family or social pressure. In the
most extreme cases, it may also involve physical
violence, sexual abuse, abduction, detention and even
murder.
Iranian law sanctions marriage for girls as young as 13 (it
was nine until recently) and boys as young as 15.
Marriages may be contracted for children under these
ages with the consent of the parents. All girls and women
must have the consent of the father (or, in his absence,
the paternal grandfather) to enter into a marriage
contract.54
Forced marriage is prohibited by international law,
including Article 23(3) of the ICCPR which provides
that, ―No marriage shall be entered into without the free
and full consent of the intending spouses.‖
Forced marriage is a form of violence against women
carried out by family members. It is linked to child
marriage, which may constitute forced marriage. Child
marriage violates the right of children to freedom from
sexual exploitation, as provided in Articles 19 and 24 of
the Convention on the Rights of the Child. By marrying
at an early age, children are further denied their rights to
education and health and, crucially, the freedom to
determine the course that they wish their lives to take.
Forced marriage also appears to be a major reason for
self-immolation (see below).
Denna sammanställning av information/länkar är baserad på informationssökningar gjorda
under en begränsad tid. Den är sammanställd utifrån noggrant utvalda och allmänt tillgängliga
informationskällor. Alla använda källor refereras. All information som presenteras, med
undantag av obestridda/uppenbara fakta, har dubbelkontrollerats om inget annat anges.
Sammanställningen gör inte anspråk på att vara uttömmande och bör inte tillmätas exklusivt
bevisvärde i samband med avgörandet av ett enskilt ärende.
Informationen i sammanställningen återspeglar inte nödvändigtvis Migrationsverkets
officiella ståndpunkt i en viss fråga och det finns ingen avsikt att genom sammanställningen
göra politiska ställningstaganden.
Refererade dokument bör läsas i sitt sammanhang.
Källförteckning
Amnesty International, Amnesty International’s submission to the
Commission on the Status of Women regarding concerns about the
harassment and imprisonment of women, including rights defenders and
members of minorities, in Iran, 2 August 2012, MDE
13/054/2012, available at:
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/50210e0e2.html
Amnesty International, IRAN: - HUMAN RIGHTS - ABUSES AGAINST
THE - KURDISH MINORITY - Iran, 2008-07-30
Lifos 19129
Daily News, Iran, Yemen and the plague of forced marriages: Millions of
girls are made to become child brides, 2010-11-28
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/iran-yemen-plague-forced-marriagesmillions-girls-made-child-brides-article-1.456314
United Kingdom: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Human Rights and
Democracy: The 2010 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report, 31 March
2011, ISBN: 9780101801720, available at:
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4d9989c72.html
Freedom House, This report is a chapter in Women’s Rights in the Middle
East and North Africa: Progress Amid Resistance, ed. Sanja Kelly and Julia
Breslin (New York, NY: Freedom House; Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefi
eld, 2010)
http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/inline_images/Iran.pdf
Organisation suisse d’aide aux réfugiés,OSAR, Iran: violences envers les
femmes Renseignement de l’analyse-pays de l’OSAR, 2011-05-11
http://www.ecoi.net/file_upload/1788_1306496893_iran-gewalt-gegenfrauen.pdf
United Kingdom: Home Office, Country of Origin Information Report Iran, 28 June 2011, available at:
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4e26ead814.html
USDOS - US Department of State: Country Report on Human Rights
Practices for 2011 - Iran, 24 May 2012 (available at ecoi.net)
http://www.ecoi.net/local_link/217662/324292_en.html