Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, March 5, 2021
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| Sevil Suleymani |
Speaking to Voice of America on the occasion of International Women’s Day (March 8), women's and gender issues researcher Sevil Suleymani discussed the main challenges faced by women in Iranian Azerbaijan.
“Women face a number of universal problems that many women around the world encounter. However, their severity and type differ based on geography. For example, in Azerbaijan, language itself is a major issue for women.”
She explains that women from Turkish and other non-Persian communities in Iran experience these issues more acutely than other women:
“Since the majority of Azerbaijanis are Turkish-speaking and Persian is Iran’s official language, many women in Azerbaijan struggle with language barriers. This, in turn, leads to other problems in a chain reaction. For example, when they experience violence, they cannot go to court, they do not know their rights, and they cannot navigate the legal system. Language barriers also prevent them from finding jobs, adding to their domestic struggles. On top of all this, Iran’s Sharia-based legal system enforces mandatory hijab and allows child marriage.”
The Issue of Child Marriage
Sevil Suleymani highlights the prevalence of early marriages in Iranian Azerbaijan:
“Child marriage is a global problem. In societies where a choice must be made between educating a son or a daughter, families usually prioritize the boy. This is because they see daughters as a burden and want them to marry as soon as possible. As a result, girls are kept away from education. When they are deprived of education, they also face language barriers. Since they lack sufficient literacy and experience, they cannot find jobs. Child marriages increase, girls marry at an early age, and when they experience domestic violence, they cannot leave their marriages because they have no financial independence. Additionally, their language skills are often insufficient to understand and assert their rights in Iran’s legal system. All these issues are interconnected and reinforce each other.”
Lack of Civil Society Organizations
The cultural activist also points out that there are no civil society organizations in Iranian Azerbaijan that conduct awareness campaigns for women.
“There are very few civil society organizations in Azerbaijan. And when they do exist, they do not provide education in the Turkish language to explain things in simple terms to the population.”
The Marginalization of Non-Persian Women’s Issues
Sevil Suleymani criticizes the fact that many activists working on women’s rights in Iran fail to acknowledge the unique problems faced by women in non-Persian regions.
“In Iran as a whole, we have been facing a fundamental issue for years. Many activists in Iran focus on Persian-centered and Tehran-centered problems. This results in the exclusion of non-Persian ethnic groups. If you look at the platforms of Iranian civil society organizations, you will not find any mention of Turks. For example, when it comes to raising awareness, Turks are not included in their plans. When they discuss women's issues, the problems of Turks, Balochs, Arabs, or Kurds are never considered part of their agenda. There have been slight changes after protests from non-Persian activists, but it is not yet a complete transformation.”
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
“İran Azərbaycanında dil məsələsi və məişət çətinliyi qadınlar üçün şəraiti daha da ağırlaşdırır”