In a move to better protect women against domestic and other forms of violence Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has approved a longstanding bill.

Dubbed the Protection, Dignity and Security of Women Against Violence, the draft bill was given the green light by cabinet ministers. It has been in the works since the administration of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The bill is set to be reviewed and approved by the parliament, after which it will be sent to the powerful constitutional vetting body, the Guardian Council, consisting of jurists and religious experts.

Vice president for women and family affairs, Masoumeh Ebtekar, in a tweet devoted the 58-article bill to “worthy and patient Iranian women”

In September 2019, the legislation completed its extensive process of review by the judiciary.

It defines violence as “any behavior inflicted on women due to sexuality, vulnerable position or type of relationship, and inflicts harm to their body, psyche, personality and dignity, or restricts or deprives them of legal rights and freedoms”.

The judiciary is obligated to create offices to support victims of violence and hold educational courses for judges and other judiciary staff.

The bill also envisages the formation of a fund by the judiciary to support victims of violence and help imprisoned women, among other things.

By Naadiya Adams