An annual report published by the Office of the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs highlights the number of schemes launched by the office across the country, in deprived and remote areas in particular, over the previous fiscal year that ended in March.
Over 30 health clinics were set up to check the mental and social health of schoolgirls in the 31 provinces. Such clinics are now operating at the universities of medical sciences in each province, ILNA reported.
“Women and girls are more susceptible during economic, social, and environmental crises and their health and hygiene must be addressed on priority,” said Vice President Shahindokht Molaverdi, according to the online portal women.gov.ir.
Molaverdi said devising a national model of the Sustainable Development Goals is now almost completed.
Goal 5 of the SDGs highlights providing women and girls with equal access to education, healthcare, decent work, and representation in political and economic decision-making. This will help fuel sustainable economies and benefit societies and humanity at large.
Since 2013, when the present (outgoing) government took office, the vice presidency is supervising another program launched in cooperation with the Education Ministry to screen the pathological symptoms in psychological and social behavior of female high school second-graders.
The program also covers the general hygiene status of female students in far-flung and underprivileged areas on a nationwide scale.
Under memoranda of understanding with various organizations including the education and health ministries, and the Literacy Movement Organization, the vice presidency has strived to implement projects to empower and improve social resilience among women in the lesser-developed regions of East Azarbaijan, Bushehr, Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari, Khorasan Razavi, Khuzestan, Sistan-Baluchistan, Fars, Kordestan, Kerman, Hormozgan and Kohkilouyeh-Boyerahmad provinces.
Target Groups
Nearly 15,000 women and girls in the target groups were trained for various professions, gained literacy, or received counseling services for social issues through courses and workshops.
Another scheme addressed elderly vulnerable women by providing counseling and psychological support to help them improve the quality of life.
The vice presidency has also prioritized ways to curb social harm among women in its agenda in the current calendar year (began March 21).
The top three areas to be addressed are female addiction, divorce, and higher growth rate of sexually-transmitted diseases among women such as HIV/AIDS.
Available funds will be earmarked for empowering women, consolidating family structures, supporting community-based activities and NGOs and social participation of women, as well as research projects.
“Almost 9% of the nearly two million addicts in the country are women,” Molaverdi said. “Male addiction is more worrisome because it could expose women and children to domestic violence and therefore is regularly addressed.”
An online database on women in the country was unveiled in February 20 at the vice presidency to facilitate harnessing women’s potential in the job market and specialized workforce.
“Certain jobs require women with specific expertise and the portal will ensure employers have quick access to necessary information in a timely manner,” she was quoted by ISNA as saying.
