Obstacles in the Field of Sexual Assault Research in Iran

Obstacles to Research

There are multiple obstacles hindering the conduct of research in the field of sexual assault in Iran. Ideological societies are always concerned with presenting a certain image of themselves, both within and outside of their borders, and seek to maintain that image by controlling all aspects of reality. Ideological thinking is divorced from the realities of perception, and insists on a “truer” reality concealed behind all perceptible things, dominating them from this place of concealment and revealed precisely by the ideology, which is taught by the educational institutions. Once these movements have come to power, they proceed to change reality in accordance with their ideological claims.⁹ They believe that showing social anomalies will spoil this image, and therefore not only do they not support this type of research, but they also create serious obstacles in an attempt to suppress it altogether.

Some religious scholars believe that talking about corruption is the same thing as promoting it or that whoever broadcasts an abominable act and sin is like the one who committed it.¹⁰ As a result, Islamic countries emphasize the need to conceal personal and social defects and anomalies. Any kind of research or acknowledgment of the existence of anomalies such as rape exposes social corruption, considered an obscene and objectionable matter in the traditional and religious ethics of Islamic societies. As the Muslim prophet Muhammad has said: “Whoever covers the defects of his Muslim brother in this world, God will conceal his on the day of resurrection” (Ref. 11, p 609). Many researchers worry that they will be questioned by authorities in the event they decide to embark on research projects exposing the occurrence of sexual assault.

There is a very large gap between the educational system and the social application of research, such that universities and the scientific community at large do not have a direct relationship with society, nor is researchers’ work applied directly within society itself. In other words, research remains strictly a theoretical or academic matter, buried in libraries and computers. Complex administrative bureaucracy and lack of interorganizational cooperation can lead to researchers quickly losing interest in taking the long and arduous path of exploring social anomalies such as rape.

A large number of rape victims are never referred to institutions like forensic centers. Fear of being found guilty of adultery is the main driving force preventing men and women from seeking assistance from doctors or the judicial system, as such a finding could carry with it punishment, by the laws of Iran.¹² In other words, the Islamic Penal Code prevents the registration of anomalies and the undertaking of any research about them. Also, rape is punishable by death in Iran,¹³ which means if the judge decides rape has indeed occurred, the rapist will be hanged, and some victims who do not agree with the death penalty will not alert legal authorities.

Many women only go to forensic centers because of family pressure and only with the intent of evaluating their virginity status (see below) and do not want to participate in activities such as research. Virginity, defined as an intact hymen, is considered a sign of purity. In the distant past, family members used to gather by the door of the newlyweds and wait for the blood on the white cloth as a sign of virginity, to celebrate their honorable family. Today, before the marriage is official, the man would take his fiancé to a gynecologist or midwife to check her virginity status. This all means that even though many people are not concerned with having a broken hymen, many women still worry it might ruin their chance of a successful marriage; thus, the custom of the virginity examination continues.¹⁴

Many of these women distrust legal institutions and are afraid of having their identities revealed. They believe that participating in such a study would cause records to be created which could later become available to others and therefore lead to their gaining a dishonorable reputation.

Because of the traditional features of Iranian society, women are worried that if other people find out they have been sexually assaulted, they will be chastised and incriminated, rejected from family and clan, forced to drop out of school, unable to find a suitable husband, or even be considered prostitutes. They may also lose their jobs and financial independence, have their spouse and children taken away from them, or be harmed or even killed by their own family.^15,16 As noted above, our study did not include male victims of rape; men likely would also prefer to keep such an incident hidden because it violates the traditional role of the man as the masculine protector of the family. Further research needs to be done on this matter.

Many women who participate in research requiring follow-up do not return. Some of the reasons for this may be the mental disorders that could arise as a result of rape, such as depression or anxiety, or persons changing their phone number or address to conceal their identity and whereabouts.

A lot of women who are referred to forensic centers have previously gone to other organizations such as the police force, but did not receive the help they required and were not well treated.^15,17,18 For many victims, postassault help-seeking can become a second experience of victimization.¹⁹ As a result, they have no desire to participate in the research of other related organizations, having been previously judged or reprimanded instead of being afforded the assistance they needed at the time.

In our original study, we interviewed the eligible participants one month after the incident and we made follow-up appointments until six months after the incident because PTSD may emerge one to six months after a traumatic event. As mentioned before, participants diagnosed with PTSD would be referred to both a psychiatrist and a psychologist for further evaluation and treatment. Our focus was on signs and symptoms of PTSD; however, some of the participants were experiencing other mental disorders, such as depression, eating disorders, or drug and alcohol misuse, and were hoping they could speak more about these concerns and receive treatment for them. Our main focus on PTSD caused some of the participants to not want to return for a follow-up appointment.

For rape victims under the age of 18, the presence and consent of a parent or guardian is required to participate in the research project. In many cases, parents prevent the child from participating in the project to protect the child's feelings and future. The limited number of forensic medical centers available in the provinces, the lower income of most of the victims, and the high cost of transportation all prevent women from participating in multistage research.