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| '''Prostitution in Iran''' is illegal, and incurs various punishments ranging from fines and jail terms to execution for repeat offenders. The ]ian government has considered regulating prostitution in order to combat the growing prostitution problem in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2007/100595.htm|title= Human Rights Report: Iran|date=2009-02-25|work=Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor|publisher=U.S. Department of State|accessdate=20 December 2009}}</ref> | '''Prostitution in Iran''' is illegal, and incurs various punishments ranging from fines and jail terms to execution for repeat offenders. Establishing brothels is also a criminal act, subject to 1-10 years imprisonment. <ref></ref>The ]ian government has considered regulating prostitution in order to combat the growing prostitution problem in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2007/100595.htm|title= Human Rights Report: Iran|date=2009-02-25|work=Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor|publisher=U.S. Department of State|accessdate=20 December 2009}}</ref> | ||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| The exact number of prostitutes working in Iran is unknown. According to some estimates there are 20000-30000, some as young as 10 or 11.Prostitutes are visible on street corners in ]. Many of them are runaways from poor and broken homes.<ref></ref> <ref>{{cite news|title= Drugs and prostitution 'soar' in Iran|publisher= ]|date=|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/822312.stm|accessdate=2011-01-12}}</ref>Some of the runaway girls are fleeing abusive homes, suffering from drug addiction or the victims of sexual assaults. Some were forced into child marriages. After running away, they end up in cities with no employment prospects and engage in begging, petty crime and prostitution. <ref></ref> Some engage in prostitution as a form of social protest. <ref></ref>Police raids have also exposed child prostitution rings. <ref></ref> | The exact number of prostitutes working in Iran is unknown. According to some estimates there are 20000-30000, some as young as 10 or 11. Prostitutes are visible on street corners in ]. Many of them are runaways from poor and broken homes.<ref></ref> <ref>{{cite news|title= Drugs and prostitution 'soar' in Iran|publisher= ]|date=|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/822312.stm|accessdate=2011-01-12}}</ref>Some of the runaway girls are fleeing abusive homes, suffering from drug addiction or the victims of sexual assaults. Some were forced into child marriages. After running away, they end up in cities with no employment prospects and engage in begging, petty crime and prostitution. <ref></ref> Some engage in prostitution as a form of social protest. <ref></ref>Police raids have also exposed child prostitution rings. <ref></ref> | ||
| An Iranian psychiatrist, Mahdis Kamkar, believes the rise in prostitution is a symptom of broader social problems, among them "troubled families, divorce, identity crises and social contradictions." <ref></ref> | An Iranian psychiatrist, Mahdis Kamkar, believes the rise in prostitution is a symptom of broader social problems, among them "troubled families, divorce, identity crises and social contradictions." <ref></ref> | ||
Revision as of 05:22, 28 February 2011
Prostitution in Iran is illegal, and incurs various punishments ranging from fines and jail terms to execution for repeat offenders. Establishing brothels is also a criminal act, subject to 1-10 years imprisonment. The Iranian government has considered regulating prostitution in order to combat the growing prostitution problem in the country.
History
The exact number of prostitutes working in Iran is unknown. According to some estimates there are 20000-30000, some as young as 10 or 11. Prostitutes are visible on street corners in Tehran. Many of them are runaways from poor and broken homes. Some of the runaway girls are fleeing abusive homes, suffering from drug addiction or the victims of sexual assaults. Some were forced into child marriages. After running away, they end up in cities with no employment prospects and engage in begging, petty crime and prostitution. Some engage in prostitution as a form of social protest. Police raids have also exposed child prostitution rings. An Iranian psychiatrist, Mahdis Kamkar, believes the rise in prostitution is a symptom of broader social problems, among them "troubled families, divorce, identity crises and social contradictions."
Shi'ite marriage arrangements that allow a man to marry for a limited amount of time, ranging from one hour to 99 years, are legally recognized in Iran. Although the former president of Iran justified this practice on various grounds, many believe it is a form of prostitution. A draft law introduced by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2007 to regulate temporary marriages was harshly criticized, especially by women and human rights organizations. In the wake of this opposition, the Iranian parliament rejected one clause of the law that talks of registering temporary marriages.
Before the Islamic revolution in 1979, prostitutes were confined to separate neighborhoods such as Shahr-e-no in Tehran. The new religious government demolished the district and punished prostitution with lashing.
U.S. assessment
In 2007, the United States State Department placed Iran as a "Tier 2" in its annual Trafficking in Persons reports, stating that "it does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so". In 2010, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton downgraded Iran to "Tier 3", noting that the country makes no significant effort to solve trafficking problems, mainly in relation to prostitution and forced labor.
Prostitution scandal
In 2008, General Reza Zarei, the Tehran police chief, was arrested in a brothel with six prostitutes. His arrest caused embarrassment for the government of President Ahmadinejad, because he was in charge of vice in Tehran. The prosecutor in the case remarked that Zarei exploited his office to profit materially from prostitution.
Films
"Prostitution Behind the Veil" by Nahid Persson Sarvestani is a documentary film about two Iranian prostitutes from middle class backgrounds and their descent into prostitution through deception and drugs.In The Circle (Persian: Dayereh), a movie by Iranian independent filmmaker Jafar Panahi that dramatizes the plight of women in Iran, two different types of prostitutes are portrayed.
See also
References
- 100 Countries and Their Prostitution Policies
- "Human Rights Report: Iran". Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. U.S. Department of State. 2009-02-25. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
- Shorn of dignity and equality
- "Drugs and prostitution 'soar' in Iran". BBC. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
- Iran 'brothel' plan rejected
- Iran in focus
- Rise in Iranian Prostitution Blamed on Strict Sex Rules, Economy
- Iran 'brothel' plan rejected
- Iran's women defeat Ahmadinejad's 'legal prostitution' bill
- To Regulate Prostitution, Iran Ponders Brothels, New York Times
- "Trafficking in Persons Report". Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. U.S. Department of State. 2009-02-25. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
- Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (2010). "Trafficking in Persons Report 2010". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Prostitute Scandal Rattles Tehran Government". Spiegel Online International. April 28, 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
- Prostitution Behind the Veil
- Prostitution in Iran on the Rise
