Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.
PayvandNews – The proposed national budget bill for the next Iranian calendar year 1397, starting on March 21, 2018, has allocated 210 billion rials ($5.25 million) for women’s affairs, an increase of 30 percent year on year. President Hassan Rouhani presented the administration’s draft of the national budget bill for the next year to the Majlis (Iranian parliament) on Sunday.
artwork by Keyvan Varessi
Women’s share of the national budget for the current Iranian calendar year was 151 billion rials (nearly $3.8 million).
The total proposed national budget amounted to 11.94 quadrillion rials (about $284 billion), a 10 percent rise year on year. It also highlights stronger presence of the private sector in the national economy.
“We hope to keep going on with single-digit inflation and an annual 5 percent growth rate. We forecast to create 840,000 new jobs in the next year compared with 750,000 in the current year,” Rouhani told MPs.
Appointing female deputies not a remedy for women’s problems: activists
TEHRAN – A group of female social activists in an open letter addressing national policymakers criticized recent appointments of women to government posts as a symbolic move which would be no remedy for various problems women are facing in the country.
President Hassan Rouhani, while presenting a report of his administration’s first 100 days, referred to the creation of 307,000 jobs for women as one of the most important achievements gained by the government, Mehr reported.
cartoon by Mehdi Azizi, Shargh daily
The female activists criticized employment of women in advertising luxury cars, employment of women in real estates, employment of female drivers, and employment of women in low rank jobs in trains and airplanes, as well as increasing number of women in odd-jobs as street vendors.
The letter further criticized growing number of women marketers which is on the contrary to article 21st of the Constitution in which the government is bound to secure women’s rights and dignity in line with the law.
The law also makes the government duty bound to revive the spiritual and materialistic rights of women.
The female activists expressed their concern that appointment of a few number of women deputies not only will not solve women’s problems but it may increase vulnerability of women.
The letter further stressed assigning clear goals in social fields, especially in women’s employment.
They also put emphasis on not using women as a tool for earning financial benefits in trades and markets.
The female activists in social fields requested the policymakers to highly respect women’s rights in drawing out plans related to women’s affairs in order to value personality and dignity of women.
… Payvand News – 12/12/17 … —
