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| Zahra Navidpour |
Following the unexpected death of Zahra Navidpour, who had accused a member of parliament of sexual assault, women in Iran's Azerbaijan region joined the global #MeToo movement by launching a campaign in Turkish called #MənDə ("Me Too").
Women users of social media began sharing incidents of sexual, verbal, or emotional abuse they had experienced at the hands of various men, using the hashtags #MeToo and #MənDə.
One woman from Tabriz tweeted that a doctor she had visited for a cold had touched her body inappropriately, even providing the doctor’s name and office address. Another woman recounted how a fellow passenger sitting in the back seat of a bus had groped her. Another user revealed that she had been harassed by a pickup truck driver she had hired to move her furniture, while yet another woman spoke of being harassed by a shop owner.
Some male users also shared stories of sexual abuse they had experienced as teenagers on social media.
While there has been backlash against those sharing their experiences under the #MənDə hashtag, there has also been significant support.
Leyli Khodayi wrote: “The issue is that they think #MənDə is a hashtag against men. No, my friend! This is help for your mother, sister, and wife. It’s an aid to make sure they’re not afraid, not ashamed, to speak out. So that you fathers, brothers, husbands, hear their stories and understand.”
One male user, Mehdi Qaradagi, posted: “It’s shameful to read the #MənDə hashtag and realize that many of us have caused this tragedy, whether through our eyes, our words, or in some cases, our hands or other actions. If we can’t change the past, let’s at least heal the future by talking about it.”
Many users have expressed joy that those participating in the #MənDə campaign are writing about their experiences in Turkish.
“Turkish women are sharing their experiences of sexual abuse with the #MeToo and #MənDə hashtags. Due to our lack of proper education, we men of this society are responsible for this. I hope this issue will be taken seriously in the upbringing of the next generation. Also, it’s great that the content on our Turkish Twitter has expanded so much,” wrote political activist Saeid Naeimi in Persian.
On January 6, concerns over sexual abuse and violence against women gained widespread attention in the wake of the sudden death of 28-year-old Zahra Navidpour in East Azerbaijan province.
A few months prior, Navidpour had shared audio and video recordings in which she claimed she had been raped by Salman Khodadadi, a member of parliament for the cities of Malekan and Bonab, in his office.
In Iran’s Azerbaijan region and other parts of the country, various groups, including Turkish activists, have speculated that the young woman was murdered on the orders of the MP, or that she was driven to suicide due to pressure from him.
Salman Khodadadi, 57, who has served multiple terms as a member of Iran’s parliament representing Malekan (Malekkandi) and Bonab, was formerly a commander in the Revolutionary Guards (Sepah) and the head of the Intelligence Department in Ardabil province. Among his supporters, he is known as Haji Salman.
There have been other women in past years who claimed to have been assaulted by the MP and filed complaints against him.
Link to the original news: https://www.amerikaninsesi.org/a/4746811.html