Iran has removed gender justice from the country's latest development program, sparking an outcry among activists who say the Islamic regime continues to marginalize women's rights even as widespread unrest over their suppression rocks the country.
The vice president for women and family affairs, Ensieh Khazali, said in an interview with the Tehran-based ISNA state news agency on July 18 that “the Iranian government had deemed gender justice as already implemented and, therefore, unnecessary to be included in the upcoming program.”
The Islamic leadership's development plan, now in its seventh edition, previously mentioned protecting the "well-being of families and integrity along with women's social, political, and economic empowerment and aimed at creating a balance among the multiple roles played by women to help with their effectiveness in the family and society."
Despite the stated policy, Iran's ranking in the 2023 Global Gender Gap Report placed the country 143rd out of 146 countries.
The annual report by the World Economic Forum measures equality between men and women using a variety of indicators, from access to education and public health to participation in economic and political affairs.
Khazali disputed the ranking claiming the statistics are flawed.
But women's rights activists have pointed to it as evidence of their claims during recent nationwide protests that fundamental amendments to the country's constitution to guarantee equal rights and diversity are needed.
They have also called for the implementation of a proposed Women's Legal Bill to ensure an "accurate and concise reflection of women's struggles and demands throughout history" and in future legal regulations, such as any new constitution that may be drawn up.
Anger over the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody has prompted thousands of Iranians to take to the streets nationwide to demand more freedoms and women's rights. The widespread unrest represents the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution.
Amini's death, which officials blamed on a heart attack while witnesses and her family say it was the result of being beaten by police, touched off a wave of anti-government protests in cities across the country.
The authorities have responded to the unrest with a harsh crackdown that rights groups say has killed more than 500 people, including 71 children.