Introductory Statement to the Program of the December 11 Protest against the UN: Shirin Nariman

Shirin Nariman, founder of the Women’s Alliance for Change in Iran, gave the introduction for the December 11 protest against the UN and its animosity towards the women of the world. She was also a key contributor to the organization of the very successful protest action.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the organizers I would like to thank you all for being here in this cold weather to condemn United Nations’ silence on violence against women.
Every second, a woman is being violated in one way or another in the world. Although there are no correct statistics due to the lack of government cooperation, we can have some estimate just based on what is available in the United States.

In the United states alone, every nine seconds, a women is beaten, an average of 3 women are killed by their husbands every day, one out of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime, and one in three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime.

These statistics worsen in countries without any laws to protect women. They would be particularly horrific when laws are [in place] to suppress women, and become means to prosecute and [deprive] women of their ordinary rights such as right to divorce, child custody and more.

But the misery of women of those countries doesn’t end there when the laws are there to punish women in the worst brutal ways, such as stoning. Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Republic of Congo, Somalia, and more than any country, Iran, are the top in the world for such cruelty against humanity, particularly women.

Last week, the world witnessed Shahla Jahed who was hanged after 8 years of imprisonment without fair trail and a forced confession from her.

In the past two days, the world has witnessed another propaganda played by the Iranian regime on another victim, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. Publishing a few photos of Sakineh in her home made everyone happy, thinking that she was released because of the global effort of everyone plying for her release or reduced sentence. The Italian foreign minister hailed the regime for this act; needless to say, this was indeed another plot by the regime.

Just yesterday, Press TV, Iran’s English division of state media, reported that not only Sakineh was not freed but also she was taken home to recount killing her husband, [so the regime could] have a confession in hand that she was undeniably guilty and executing her in any way, such as by stoning which is part of Shari’a law, is justifiable. This is a mental torture and it is clear it has been done by pressure on her.

This and similar acts bring us to here to demand from United Nation to expel countries, such as Iran, with their inhuman laws against women out of any women-related committees.

The UN must condemn stoning and ought to issue a statement particularly about Sakineh’s situation condemning this play out by the regime.
The UN must take a tougher stance toward violence against women.