Thousands of Iranians Are Taking a Bold Stand Against a Cruel Form of Misogyny - Mic

24.10.14

Thousands of Iranians Are Taking a Bold Stand Against a Cruel Form of Misogyny - Mic: The background: Six women have been attacked in Isfahan in the past week alone. In most cases, assailants on motorbikes tossed the acid through car windows at women waiting at red lights. Police have arrested four alleged perpetrators.

The city's police chief said afterward that "most of the women were not dressed appropriately," with the implication that they were attacked for not dressing according to conservative tradition.

While the country used to have a policy of literal fashion policing — women could be arrested for wearing certain types of clothing — those restrictions have been relaxed by president Hassan Rouhani.

Why it matters: While women can no longer be arrested by Iranian police for what they wear, there's a movement to allow volunteers to enforce a dress code. A law allowing that is currently being discussed in the country's legislature.