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Women in Iran are protesting against the strict rules, and many people are showing solidarity: They no longer want to be told how to dress, where to travel and what jobs they can do. This is how you explain the wave of protests in Iran to your children.
Thousands of people have been taking to the streets in Iran for weeks. They are protesting against the strict rules of conduct that apply in the country. The wave of protests began almost two months ago and the demonstrations are still going on.
One victim too many
The decisive factor was the death of a young woman: Jina Mahsa Amini was detained by the vice squad at a subway station because she was allegedly not wearing her headscarf properly. She died a few days later. Probably because she was treated so brutally by the police officers.
After this incident, it was clear to many people that they no longer wanted to live under the strict rules of the vice squad. Large sections of the population are demanding the end of the strict regime under the religious leader, the Ayatollah Khamenei.
Strict rules for girls and women in Iran
For children in Switzerland, such strict rules of conduct as those in Iran are difficult to imagine. The rules are based on the Islamic religion, which is compulsory for everyone in Iran. Girls and women in particular are strictly controlled in everyday life:
- From the age of nine, girls must wear a headscarf when leaving the house.
- People in Iran are only allowed to sing and dance within their own four walls.
- When they are adult and married, they are only allowed to travel if the husband agrees. And if women no longer feel comfortable in marriage, there is nothing they can do about it: only men are allowed to divorce.
If people in Iran do not follow these rules, there are consequences: the vice squad can imprison women for one night or longer if they violate them.
That’s what the protests in Iran bring about
“It’s the feeling of not being alone,” says Iran expert Farida Stickel. “It is very difficult to say whether the wave of protests will really achieve its goal and overthrow the strict regime.”
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