VZCZCXRO2141
PP RUEHBC RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHDE #0852/01 0500901
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P R 190901Z FEB 06
FM AMCONSUL DUBAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8461
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 1377
RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBAI 000852 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  2/15/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV IR SOCI SCUL
SUBJECT: WOMEN'S RIGHT IN IRAN ON SLOW DECLINE 
 
REF: A. 05 DUBAI 4477, B. 05 DUBAI 6398 
 
DUBAI 00000852  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Jason L Davis, Consul General, Dubai, UAE. 
REASON: 1.4 (d) 
 
1.(SBU) Summary: Several Iranian women activists paint a picture 
of an increasingly restrictive climate for women under President 
Ahmadinejad, in terms of both joint activities with the West and 
the legislative and judicial climate.  The changes appear 
designed to be gradual in nature, as opposed to more high 
profile public harassment of women for their dress, make-up, or 
male companions.  Nonetheless, these activists expressed 
optimism that Iranian demographics would bring about greater 
freedoms in the long-term.  End summary 
 
Academic View 
------------- 
 
2.(S) In a February 8 conversation, Dr. Jaleh Shaditalab (please 
protect), founder of the Women's Studies Center at Tehran 
University, discussed women's issues in Iran with PolEconChief. 
The recipient of advanced degrees from U.S. universities prior 
to the 1979 revolution, Dr. Jaleh Shaditalab is an associate 
professor in the Social Science Faculty and the founder of the 
Women's Studies Center at Tehran University.  She came to Dubai 
to apply for a visa to speak at the Woodrow Wilson Center April 
7, as well as at Arizona State University. 
 
3.(S) Shaditalab noted some positive changes under the previous 
administration, but overall disappointment in former President 
Khatami.  Signs of progress included the establishment of the 
Women's Studies Center at Tehran University and the opening of 
many women's issues-related NGOs.  People were very hopeful, she 
said, but in the end realized that they had unrealistic 
expectations.  Although Khatami was an intellectual and said the 
right things, he was still a cleric and part of the regime. 
 
4.(S) Shaditalab reported that since coming into office, 
Ahmadinejad's government has tried to redirect women's issues to 
focus primarily on the family.  Women's NGOs were under 
increasing pressure, though she said there has been no concrete 
action against them yet.  She was recently removed as director 
of the Women's Studies Center when her term ended, whereas 
customarily her term would have been extended.  Under her 
leadership, the center had many grants from European entities, 
totaling $600,000.  The new director, however, canceled all 
projects with foreign partners.  Shaditalab also had UN grants 
on gender-violence projects, which were also canceled, and she 
said the UN is unsure how to proceed in Iran.  She has heard 
that she has been blacklisted as a consultant on women's 
projects, and she believes it is because the government fears 
she might leak information that would end up with the UN's human 
rights commission. 
 
5.(S) Shaditalab said she used to meet regularly with 
representatives of the Sixth Majles but never sees anyone from 
the current Seventh Majles, and that all of its 12 female 
members are conservatives.  The parliament recently contacted 
her to request a report for use at an upcoming UN conference on 
women (presumably the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) 
February 27-March 10), but she declined, referring them instead 
to the follow-up report to the Beijing Conference prepared by 
the previous administration.  However, they refused to use the 
old report because it was issued in the name of the reformist 
government. 
 
6.(S) Despite such backwards steps, Shaditalab said, she is 
optimistic long-term regarding women's rights in Iran.  She said 
that the youth of Iran today are very smart and will put 
pressure on the government, noting that 64% of university 
students are women.  Shaditalab also said it was significant 
that 28% of women in Tehran and 15% in rural areas are listed as 
unemployed, explaining that only those who say they are seeking 
employment are counted in these statistics.  She said it was a 
new phenomenon that so many women, particularly in rural areas, 
would declare themselves to be seeking employment. 
 
NGO View 
-------- 
 
7.(C) Three representatives from Iranian women NGOs came to the 
consulate February 15 to apply for visas to go to the CSW.  It 
was noteworthy that the most talkative of the three, who said 
she represents a new NGO, was openly critical of Iranian 
government backsliding in terms of women's issues.  She said 
that of the 41 pieces of women-related legislation passed by the 
previous Majles, the Guardians Council had rejected 20 of them. 
While Iran has hundreds of women's NGOs, most are local; she 
complained of the lack of a national organization for women. 
When asked about regional interaction between women's groups, 
she mentioned numerous exchanges with Afghan women.  She said in 
some respects, Afghanistan was more progressive than Iran, given 
 
DUBAI 00000852  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
the fact that unlike Iran, it now had women ministers. 
 
Businesswoman's View 
-------------------- 
 
8.(S) In a separate conversation, another Iranian women's rights 
activist also expressed pessimism regarding the effect 
Ahmadinejad will have on women's issues in Iran. Leila Bokaie 
(please protect) applied for a visa February 13 to attend the 
World Bank's Women in the Middle East Roundtable, representing 
businesswomen in Iran.  She told PolEconOff that she used to 
work for the government, but two years ago participated in a 
government 'buyout' program and now works in the private sector. 
 She is also involved in "White Home", a women's club designed 
to improve the status of women at work.  She described the role 
of women in the workplace across the world as extremely unequal 
-- even in the U.S. -- but in Iran, she said it was particularly 
poor. 
 
9.(S) Bokaie believes the deterioration of women's rights under 
the new president will not be the result of a single event, but 
rather a slow buildup of decisions over the next three years or 
so.  As an example, she said she believes conservative judges 
are feeling increasingly empowered to act against women in cases 
such as divorce, even when the facts favor the wife's case. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
10.(S) We have not heard reports of any high-profile crackdown 
on women in obvious ways, such as a dramatic up-tick in the 
harassment of women in public for their dress or make-up.  It is 
likely that Ahmadinejad will continue to avoid public "morality" 
crackdowns in order to avoid antagonizing Iranian society at a 
time when he is seeking to consolidate support.  We have heard, 
however, of increased attention to conservative dress for women 
on university campuses.  We also continue to hear hints of a 
more repressive situation for NGOs as a whole, and a 
government-orchestrated attempt to redefine women's issues as 
only those related to the family (reftels A and B).  Bokaie's 
prediction of a gradual degradation of women's rights over the 
next few years seems likely, if events in Iran continue in the 
current direction.  On the other hand, it seems unavoidable that 
Iran's increasingly well-educated female population will - over 
time - obtain greater rights. 
DAVIS