Dilshad Aliyarli - Voice of America, August 7, 2020
 |
| Sevil Suleymani |
The UN and other international human rights organizations report that domestic violence cases have increased globally during the pandemic. Experts express concerns about the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women.
Sevil Suleymani, a researcher on women and gender issues who obtained a master's degree in women's rights from the University of San Diego, California, notes that domestic violence against women has increased in Iranian Azerbaijan during the pandemic. She emphasizes that women experiencing domestic violence often have limited economic and educational opportunities. According to her, recent data also indicates a rise in early marriages.
Sevil Suleymani explains that due to quarantine measures aimed at preventing infections, a large portion of the population remained at home, workplaces and schools were closed, and as a result, women faced not only economic consequences but also severe psychological and emotional impacts.
She highlights that several honor killings have been reported in Azerbaijani regions recently, but human rights activists struggle to obtain precise data on cases of violence and murder.
“One of these cases occurred in Khoy, in the Azerbaijani regions. Unfortunately, we cannot obtain accurate numbers to determine how many killings, assaults, and beatings have taken place. Iran has always been a closed country, always trying to cover up issues as much as possible… Deaths and reports show that violence against women has increased. Murder cases are being reported, but unfortunately, we cannot prove them with exact figures.”
According to Sevil Suleymani, Azerbaijani regions in Iran lead in early marriage rates.
“For several years now, Azerbaijani provinces have ranked first in Iran in this regard. Child marriages have dropped below the ages of 17-18, reaching 15 and even 14.”
She states that the severe economic conditions in ethnic minority regions directly impact girls’ access to education and their integration into society.
“If she has not studied, has no education, cannot find a job, does not speak the language well, does not know her rights, and cannot find a place in society, then even if she is beaten or insulted, she is forced to continue living under these conditions as if she were condemned.”
Sevil Suleymani stresses the importance of increasing educational opportunities for girls and raising awareness to combat violence against women and early marriages. However, she points out that the Iranian regime considers civil society organizations, particularly in ethnic minority regions, a “threat to the state” and does not allow them to operate.
“Unfortunately, in Iranian Azerbaijan and in Iran in general, such organizations have never been able to work freely or continue their activities. The state always sees them as a threat. This issue becomes even more severe in ethnic regions because if you establish an organization there, you must inevitably address language issues, women’s illiteracy, and domestic problems—all of which the Iranian government considers concepts that threaten national security.”
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Pandemiya dövründə İran Azərbaycanında məişət zorakılığı