tions especially for widows to survive and feed their
children.” The Human Rights Watch report of Sep-
tember 2002 on West Afghanistan confirms these
allegations through testimonies.
Children
A study of violence toward children in three child
dispensaries in Tehran shows that among 3,019
children (1,578 boys and 1,441 girls) who were
brought to these dispensaries, 367 (12.2 percent)
were abused. The percentage of boys who were
physically assaulted was 14.5, and of girls 9.6.
Child abuse was mostly due to plurality of children
(large family), drug addiction, and stress. Among
abusers, 34.1 percent had themselves been victims
of violence during their childhood and 26.4 percent
had prior abuse cases. According to the conclusion
of this study, there is a positive correlation between
physical assault and age, sex, place of residence,
marital status, and history of violence in the family.
A Persian film called Homework, based on re-
search on violence toward children, reflects the
oppression that parents inflict upon their children
at home.
A survey conducted by the UNHCR (United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) in
Afghanistan (1997) estimated the number of street
children in Kabul at 28,000, of whom 20 percent
were girls. Children as young as five years of age are
forced to go out and earn a living for their disabled
parents or young sisters.
Conclusion
What is presented here is but a vague estimation
of what happens in Iran and Afghanistan. Scien-
tific, long-term investigations must be carried out
to obtain the true picture of domestic violence in
these countries. Nevertheless, it is certain that,
especially in Iran, both governmental organizations
(such as police departments and the ministry of
hygiene, healing and medical training) and NGOs
(such as the Institute for Women’s Studies and
Research) have become conscious of the gravity
of the situation and try not only to prevent domes-
tic violence but also to protect the victims (Kàr
1996). To improve the situation however, it is
imperative that the judicial system be revised in
these countries.
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