Individual Case (CAS) - Discussion: 1999, Publication: 87th ILC session (1999)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Iran (Islamic Republic of) (Ratification: 1964)

The Government representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran stated that the policy of the Government had been to promote actively and enhance the participation of women in all political, economic and social activities, including under a policy of equal opportunity. This policy also incorporated further measures which actively and positively aimed at the empowerment of women to increase their presence and participation in all spheres of social life. He stated that in support of this objective, a bureau was established in the Presidential Office, special advisory posts to enhance the role of women were established in all government ministries as well as in the judiciary, and national and provincial committees were established; altogether there was an extensive campaign on the part of the Government in this regard. He added that some 201 offices were working throughout the country to formulate local-specific programmes contributing to the promotion of women's rights and their empowerment. He stated that civil society had also undertaken a vast campaign to further enhance the role and participation of women. More than 90 women's NGOs and associations were active in the country, some of which had even gained consultative status within the UN system. The media had also joined a lively debate on the rights, role and participation of women.

Concerning the education, training and employment of women, he noted that the literacy rate of the female population had increased from 26 per cent in 1976 to 74.2 per cent in 1996. With regard to the younger generation, he stated that the literacy rate was much higher, as more than 95 per cent of teenage girls were literate. The average level of education of the female population had also risen. The number of girls leaving school after primary and secondary education was falling, while the share of those with higher education degrees was constantly increasing. Apart from the increase in the total number, the ratio of female higher education students to the total number of women students had more than tripled in the ten-year period from 1986 to 1996. Statistics also indicated that, in some subject areas, the number of women graduates would outnumber male graduates. In 1992, some 47.5 per cent of physicians and paramedical specialists in the country had been women. This ratio was changing rapidly, as both the ratio of women entrants and graduates of medical studies increased. At present, 60.2 per cent of current students in medical sciences were female and 39.8 per cent were male. This was clearly a significant change, as women graduates would extensively outnumber male graduates.

He added that 83.6 per cent of the active female population had been employed in 1976. In 1996, this rate had increased to 86.7 per cent, while in the same period the total female population had increased by 80 per cent. In urban areas, women were mainly employed in services. In the rural areas, their main employers were industry and production sectors. In 1996, about 46 per cent of working women had been employed in services, 34.5 per cent in industry and 17 per cent in agriculture. The total number of women working in the country had increased by 81 per cent in the ten-year period from 1986 to 1996. The increase in the total number of working women had been 44 per cent in the 1991-96 period. The number of women in public wage and salary employment had increased by 452,000, 290,000 and 84,000 persons as compared to 1976, 1986 and 1991 respectively. The number of women wage and salary earners in the private sector had also increased by 150,000 and 131,000 persons as compared to 1986 and 1991 respectively. The number of women employers had increased by 11,000 and 6,000 since 1976 and 1991 respectively. Over the same period, the number of women self-employed workers had also increased by 216,000, 166,000 and 90,000 since 1976, 1986 and 1991 respectively. In the provinces of Isphahan, Bushehr, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Ghom, Kurdistan and Yazd, the unemployment rate of women was lower than that of men. Other interesting information which should be noted was that women's employment in the public sector had doubled between 1981 and 1991.

He stated that the numbers spoke for themselves. The increase in the number of employed women was quite significant. The statistics also indicated that there had been a trend of women moving away from simpler jobs and an increase in their share of more sophisticated jobs. In 1979, only 13 per cent of women had been employed in professional, technical and scientific jobs. This percentage had increased to 39.7 per cent in 1991. The number of women in managerial and decision-making positions was increasing several-fold, particularly under the new Government. The number of women in the judiciary was also significant and the number of women judges was also increasing. Women held positions as judges of investigation, deputy head of the provincial judiciary, court judges, and also at such higher judicial ranks as judges of the Court of Appeal. The highest position held by a woman was the Deputy General Prosecutor of the Supreme Court of the country. In addition to the universities which offered degrees in law, several women were currently studying at the College of Judicial Sciences, which was affiliated to the judiciary and was the main institution for the training of judges.

The above information clearly demonstrated that the increase in employment and in higher education of women was more than a trend: it represented a significant achievement. The figures also showed that further significant developments were to come, as the investment in the higher education of women would continue to show its effects for several years. He stated that the activities of the Bureau for Women's Affairs was another example of the political will at the highest level to intervene and enhance the employment of women. With a view to integrating the promotion of the gender dimension more effectively into all national policies, the head of the Bureau for Women's Affairs was participating in all the cabinet meetings of the Government. A Commission on Women's Employment had also been established. The Commission was composed of the representatives of various ministries and also the Planning and Budget Organization. The Committee of Experts had also been supplied with a copy of the National Plan of Action for Women and the progress report on the implementation of the Beijing Declaration.

He then addressed two issues raised in the report of the Committee of Experts. One was section 1117 of the Civil Code, which had been adopted in 1934. The Committee had asked to be informed of developments regarding the revision of section 1117. The answer was that section 18 of the Act on the Protection of Family, adopted in 1975, had revised section 1117 of the Civil Code. With regard to the dress code for civil servants, he emphasized that dress codes were not discriminatory, since both men and women had to respect them. Several countries had dress codes for their public servants. The Committee of Experts had inquired in this respect about the possibility of dismissal. However, he affirmed that this was not the case. Dismissal was for more serious infringements. The usual sanction was a written notification to the employee. Section 9 of the Act on Administrative Infringements enumerated the administrative sanctions, copies of which had been provided to the Committee of Experts.

With regard to the employment of Baha'is, he drew attention to the fact that the general employment situation of the Baha'is had been addressed in several previous reports, which had stated that neither the Constitution nor the Labour Code contained criteria for employment leading to or incorporating discrimination on any basis mentioned in the Convention. Over several years, several copies had been provided of the respective legal provisions, as well as copies of claims, rulings and even various forms that had to be filled in by the parties to any dispute on employment, terms and conditions of employment or dismissal. All that documentation bore witness to the policy of non-discrimination.

Decisions on recruitment to public institutions were and should be based on the principle of non-discrimination and consideration of the constitutional mandate of state institutions, the needs of the relevant institution, the qualifications of the individual, and the need to ensure the security of the State. These considerations could not be deemed to be discrimination. The rights of citizens, including the right to employment, were universal and applied to all citizens. Not being a member of an official religion did not deprive any individual from his or her rights as a citizen. The Constitution was explicit in stating that everyone had the right to employment and the Government had to ensure equal treatment in access to employment. He added that the Government was strongly committed to the full implementation of the Constitution.

With regard to religious minorities, in its long report to the Committee of Experts the previous year, detailed statistics had been provided on the active population, employment, unemployment, previous employment and the non-active population, including the student population, for each of the religious minorities. All the facts and figures available underlined that the religious minorities benefited from the national policy of non-discrimination in employment and access to employment and were employed in various occupations, both in the public and private sectors. The distribution of population according to religion was 99.56 per cent Muslim, 0.05 per cent Zoroastrian, 0.13 per cent Christian, 0.02 per cent Judaism, and 0.25 per cent other religions non-declared. The total active population of the country was 16,027,223. The active population of the Jewish religion was 3,480, of whom 3,164 persons were employed and 316 were unemployed. The active population of Christians was 25,687, of whom 23,748 were employed and 1,939 were unemployed. The active population of Zoroastrians was 7,973, of whom 7,287 were employed and 686 were unemployed. He stated that the statistics showed that the religious minorities had even higher rates of employment than the national average, as noted by the Committee of Experts in its report. Moreover, on the question of terms and conditions of employment, in addition to the non-discriminatory legal provisions which applied to all workers, the Committee of Experts had already been provided with information on individual cases which proved that all cases were dealt with in a non-discriminatory manner. No one was required to disclose his or her religion in filing a complaint to the labour courts and tribunals and no one could make a ruling based on the religion of any party to the conflict.

In conclusion, he stated that there had been an important development that he wanted to bring to the attention of the Committee. Two ILO missions from the Bureau of Workers' Activities and the Bureau of Employers' Activities had recently visited the country. Both of the missions were quite successful. Based on such experiences, it has been decided to invite an ILO technical mission to the country to discuss the application of the Convention, and to forward a written invitation as soon as possible. He expressed the hope that the Committee would take into account the information and substantive report which was just provided, as well as the significant steps which had been taken in cooperating with the ILO.

The Worker members thanked the Government representative for the information. Nevertheless, as it contained information received during the work of the Committee, they could only take note of it and wait for the results of examination of the information by the Committee of Experts.

The case of the Islamic Republic of Iran had already been discussed on numerous occasions: from 1983 to 1990, then in 1993, in 1996 and in 1997. In 1996 and in 1997, very firm conclusions had been set out in a special paragraph and adopted because the Government had not accepted a direct contacts mission. The purpose of such a mission would be in particular to collect verified and objective information on the spot. Genuine and constructive dialogue was not possible if one had only unchallenged information on the application in law and practice of the Convention concerned.

The report of the Committee of Experts dealt with two questions: discrimination on the basis of sex and religious discrimination. The report of the Government, according to the Committee of Experts, neither contained information on the possible opposition of the husband to the wife's taking up employment or exercising an occupation, nor on the consequences for employment security in the event of a woman's non-compliance with the dress code.

There was a major problem in that information provided by the Government did not enable the Committee to understand the situation in practice. The Government provided very general data on employment of women and access of women to training and occupations. These figures did not enable verification of the change in the presence of women in the labour market taking into account the significant growth of the population, kind of functions and changes in economic structures. The Government representative provided additional statistics today, but these could not yet be assessed.

Moreover, the governmental system was unusual in that it was bipolar. With regard to constitutional institutions such as Parliament, the Government and the President, there were parallel decision-making centres that based their competence particularly on religion and certain laws. This system complicated comprehension of the true situation and the actual scope of some laws, ordinances and decisions regarding the situation of women and religious minorities in employment and occupation. According to information available to the Worker members, laws, directives and recent practice strengthened discrimination with regard to women and religious minorities. In particular, this concerned segregation on the basis of sex with respect to health care, extension of the right of the husband to oppose his wife's access to high-level training, and the decision to the effect that the position of director of religious minorities schools was reserved for persons who were adherents of Islamic principles and practices.

With regard to discrimination on the basis of sex, according to the information contained in the report the situation regarding the employment of women seemed to be improving. However, it was necessary to compare the absolute figures in the context of a female population of 30 million. The number of women who had paid work varied according to the sources from 600,000 to 1.7 million. In general, the number of women working was estimated to be less than 10 per cent of the workforce. Women did not have access to important positions such as those of judges. Nevertheless, the Government representative just provided contradictory information on this matter before the Committee. This information must be verified. The Committee must have available to it information on the actual impact of non-compliance with the dress code by women, and in particular the consequences of possible termination of employment, as well as the application of the right of the husband to oppose his wife's employment and training.

With respect to religious discrimination, the Committee of Experts referred to the conclusions in the report of the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Commission, according to which the Baha'is and other religious minorities were the victims of significant discrimination in employment and occupation. The Committee of Experts indicated that, according to information provided by the Government, efforts had been made to improve the employment situation of religious minorities recognized as such -- which excluded the Baha'is. However, the figures provided by the Government did not permit a realistic evaluation of employment. According to the Worker members' information, the number of persons belonging to religious minorities had greatly lowered because of their migration. Moreover, most of these persons did not work under employment contracts or in the public sector but as self-employed persons or in the informal sector. The Baha'is were formally excluded from employment in the public sector. This discrimination was contrary to the Convention.

The Worker members emphasized that this Committee and the Committee of Experts should have verified and objective information without delay. They insisted on the importance for this purpose of sending a direct contacts mission. The Government representative today made a proposal in this regard. According to this proposal, the Government would invite an ILO technical mission. This could mean a first step subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions. This mission must not be limited to a few exchanges of views of a technical nature. It must meet the following objectives: to collect data, with the possibility of verifying and comparing information; to address all the questions raised in the report of the Committee of Experts; and to make a report to the Committee of Experts. The Worker members requested that these elements be accepted by the Government and that they be included in the conclusions of the Committee. In this way the Committee would be in a position to continue to follow the case. If these conditions were not fulfilled, this would be the equivalent of a refusal of the mission.

The Employer members thanked the Government representative for the information provided. They noted that the case had a long history, having been discussed a number of times by the Committee since 1980, and having featured seven times in a special paragraph. They stated that in part it seemed that they were at the dawn of something positive in this case, but cautioned that the dawn brings the beginning, not the end. With respect to the statistics that had been provided, the Employer members were of the view that while the rate of growth was in and of itself impressive, they still did not know in absolute terms the relative position of women in education and in the labour market.

On the issue of the obligatory dress code for female public servants, the Employer members noted that the Committee of Experts had requested information on the sanctions that could be imposed and on the implementation of the Act on Administrative Infringements. However, specific information in this respect had not been provided by the Government representative. Turning to section 1117 of the Civil Code, they noted the statement of the Government representative to the effect that this had been revised in 1975, but regretted that no indication had been given as to how it had been revised or the implications of such revision. They called on the Government to provide concrete information showing that section 1117 no longer existed.

In the view of the Employer members, the most dramatic part of this case concerned the long-standing problem with Baha'is. They noted that the Committee of Experts had referred to continued persecution, including refusal of entrance to universities, and dismissals from employment, and the Employer members had information to the effect that such practices and persecution were continuing. The Government had not provided any specific information with respect to the participation rate of Baha'is in the private or public sector. They noted that while the Committee of Experts had also asked for information concerning different workers' representation mechanisms and the number of Baha'is participating in these different mechanisms, the Government representative had provided no information on this matter. They expressed regret that while the Government appeared to be saying that all citizens had the right to be treated equally whether or not they were members of a recognized religion, at the same time it was stating that national security was paramount.

They stated that a fundamental characteristic of this case had been the unwillingness of the Government to accept a direct contacts mission to evaluate the situation. The Government representative had, however, given some indication of the Government's willingness to explore in a more definitive way a means of resolving this conflict. They stressed that the Government needed to accept a mission that would be undertaken as a serious endeavour and include the provision of verifiable and reliable information on the laws and their implementation and statistics showing the actual situation, so that the Committee of Experts would be able to evaluate the situation in full knowledge of the facts.

The Government member of the Netherlands, speaking also on behalf of the Government members of Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States, noted with interest the information provided by the Government and welcomed that some progress had been made in increasing female participation in employment and education, giving rise to the hope that further progress would be possible in this regard. He stated that an increasingly active policy of the Government in this area could and should lead to a more rapid achievement of equal opportunities for men and women, including at the level of higher education. With respect to the responses that the Government had provided on the issue of the possible revision of section 1117 of the Civil Code, his Government intended to study these closely.

He expressed regret that the progress made concerning the participation of women in the workforce and in education was not matched by the efforts made towards the abolition of discrimination on the basis of religion. Although real efforts had been made to allow for the improvement of the employment situation of members of the recognized minorities, the fact that only a number of religious minorities were recognized resulted in discrimination in employment and education. The documented information demonstrated that this held true particularly for the Baha'is, the largest but still unrecognized religious minority in the country. The lack of figures in the report to the Committee of Experts on the employment of Baha'is as well as those not professing any religion was disappointing in their view, and he called on the Government to provide these figures in writing.

He concluded by noting that on a number of occasions the Government had committed itself to cooperate with international bodies, including the ILO, and stressed that while such commitments were welcome, it was time for the Government to live up fully to such commitments in order to ensure full compliance with its obligations under the Convention. His Government welcomed the announcement to invite on short notice an ILO mission and indicated that the dialogue with the ILO begun a couple of years ago would be greatly enhanced by such a mission and would provide a good opportunity to effectively counter existing scepticism.

The Worker member of the Netherlands, commending the Committee of Experts for its observation in this case, stated that it illustrated the importance of the Committee of Experts' report as providing an objective and impartial basis for the Committee's discussions. With respect to the Government's use of the term "technical mission", he stated that it seemed not to refer to a technical assistance mission, which normally would be undertaken where there were no political difficulties between the ILO and the Government concerning the changes that needed to be made. Here, however, there clearly were some political difficulties; therefore, he requested the Government to clarify that it was not requesting a technical assistance mission. He agreed with the points raised by the Worker members to be investigated during the mission, and added that the issues relating to the Islamic Labour Councils should also be addressed, including whether these Councils represented all workers in the company without discrimination. He stressed that it was important to get out of the deadlock that the Committee had been in, and expressed the hope that the mission to the country would bring some improvement, but cautioned that the mission could only be an instrument for improvement and was not an end in itself.

The Worker member of Turkey referred to section 6 of the Labour Code of Iran: "Iranians, whatever their tribe or ethnic group, enjoy the same rights; skin colour, race, language and the like do not constitute any privilege or distinction". In his view, the absence in this provision of any direct reference to sex created the impression that men were given a privileged position and that women were discriminated against in employment. He stated that the serious discrimination with respect to marriage, inheritance, guardianship, and divorce, stipulated in the Civil Code and still in force, had its parallels in employment and occupation. He called on the Government representative to provide more information on a number of specific points:

-- were any jobs and occupations restricted to or totally forbidden for women? Would it be possible to give information about the regulations issued under section 75 of the Labour Code concerning types of prohibited work for women?;

-- were there any women judges who could preside over trials and give verdicts? Had the Code concerning the conditions for selection of judges, which stipulates that only a male Muslim may become a judge, been amended to bring it into harmony with the Convention?;

-- were there any legal or de facto obstacles to the promotion of women to superior positions in the public service and in private establishments?;

-- was there strict segregation in employment and occupation in the health service and in education between men and women?;

-- was there a ban on the employment of women and men who did not strictly respect religious dress requirements?;

-- were there provisions in the legislation requiring the prior permission of the husband in order for a women to obtain employment?

He asserted that sections 75-78 of the Labour Code seemed to have been formulated based on the totally unfounded view that women are feeble creatures who needed to be defended by men. He asked whether amendment of these sections was envisaged. On the issue of discrimination in employment and occupation based on religion, he requested the Government representative to provide information on whether Muslims who openly did not fulfil their religious obligations suffered any negative consequences in relation to employment, and on whether the differences of the Sunnis led to discrimination in employment.

The Worker member of Colombia stated that the Workers were obliged to express their point of view in the face of the continued violation of the Convention by the Government. He added that the report of the Committee of Experts stated that there had been substantial advances made with regard to discrimination based on sex; however, the complaints made in various instances showed that the situation for women was improving very slowly. He referred to the repeated complaints of religious discrimination, which meant that it was impossible for many Iranians to have access to education and employment in the public administration. He indicated that when women were able to obtain positions in courts, they were relegated to dealing with family matters without the power to impose sentences. On the other hand, he indicated that discrimination against women could be reflected in the domestic abuse of women, as related by the press. He concluded by requesting the Government to respect the rights of religious minorities and of women.

The Worker member of Italy indicated that to a certain extent the report of the Committee of Experts gave the impression that there was a trend towards improvement of the situation regarding discrimination on the basis of sex and discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities. The willingness of the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran to continue cooperating with the ILO appeared to be a step forward. Acceptance of a qualified ILO mission could constitute a real change of attitude, as Iran had never accepted the visit of a Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Commission. The opening of schools and occupations to women must be strengthened by other measures taken in their favour: the reduction of pressure on women in family and society, and revision of the Civil Code. Since 1997, some positive signs had been noted such as the appointment of women to responsible political positions. One could observe that women had been appointed to positions of responsibility in the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Culture.

However, as highlighted in the report of the Committee of Experts, discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities with regard to access to training and employment continued. Statistical data on the unemployment rate for these minorities referred to in paragraph 4 of the report must be specified more precisely to enable comparisons to be made. Persons who wanted to enter university must undergo an Islamic theology exam. This prevented members of religious minorities from gaining access to higher education. Similarly, persons who wanted employment in the public sector must fulfil requirements with regard to the Islamic religion. Religious minorities were therefore excluded from the public administration. The Worker member indicated that workers belonging to the Baha'i community who had been dismissed in the 1980s had not been compensated. On the contrary, they were required to give back the salaries and pensions that they had received or face imprisonment. If there really were possibilities for trade union representation of religious minorities, as the Government indicated (see paragraph 7 of the report), one could perhaps hope for ratification by the Islamic Republic of Iran of Conventions Nos. 87 and 98. But the spokesperson was rather of the view that independent trade unions were still prohibited in the Islamic Republic of Iran, as was made known by the CISL (see paragraph 123 of the General Report of the Committee of Experts). The Italian trade unions were in favour of encouraging dialogue among countries, even when conditions were difficult. They had asked the Government of Italy, during the recent visit of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Italy to assert in the context of political and economic relations between the two countries the requirement that there be development in human rights, freedom of association and equality for all workers.

The Worker member of Pakistan noted that as the Islamic Republic of Iran was a neighbouring nation to his own with close historical ties, any developments in that country would have an impact on Pakistan. He welcomed recent developments in the country including the strengthening of democracy and the steps taken to improve dialogue with the West. He pointed to recent discussions between the Government and the Vatican resulting in a commitment to have a more open policy on religion. In this context he drew attention to the comments of the Committee of Experts concerning discrimination on the basis of religion, and expressed the hope that the Government would honour its commitment to promote and encourage religious minorities and women in employment and education. Noting the Government's intention to invite a technical mission to the country, he urged the Government to examine closely the points raised by the Committee of Experts concerning the various contradictions between the national law and practice and the provisions of the Convention. He hoped that the technical mission would lead to progress and continued cooperation.

The Employer member of the Islamic Republic of Iran thanked all the speakers for their comments, in particular the Government representative for informing the Committee of its willingness to accept an ILO mission. In his view such a mission would improve the country's image. He requested that should such a mission come to the country, it consult not only with the Government, but also with the employers' organizations. Regarding the improving role of women in the country, he pointed to the fact that his company had received three international standards on women. In his view the best way to understand the progress that had been achieved in the country would be to come to the country. He was optimistic that a number of improvements would result from the ILO mission.

The Government representative thanked all the speakers, but noted that it would be difficult to answer all their questions at this time. He would, however, try to respond to a number of the questions orally, and any outstanding questions would be addressed later in writing. He acknowledged that there had been a great deal of information and statistics put before the Committee which could only be noted by them and then more closely examined by the Committee of Experts at a later stage. He stated that this case had a long history and he hoped could be concluded in a constructive manner. He affirmed his Government's commitment to real dialogue.

With respect to the criticism concerning the general nature of the figures provided, he explained that he had set out the percentage increases as had indeed been requested by the Worker members of this Committee two years previously. The absolute numbers and percentages most recently requested by the Worker members would be made available to the Committee of Experts and to the members of the ILO mission. Regarding the concern raised that only some religions were recognized, he sought to clarify the provisions of the Constitution which made reference to particular religions only for reasons of personal status, so that questions concerning marriage, wills and heritage would be determined according to their own traditions. However, with respect to employment, the Constitution provided rights to "everyone". He stressed that the Government was committed to ensuring full compliance with the provisions of the Convention. On the question raised as to the reliability of the statistics provided, he stated that they were official statistics. He also confirmed that members of religious minorities were employed in the public sector and the civil service. Responding to the query of whether women could teach boys, he stated that there was no prohibition and in fact at the university level, 35 per cent of the academic staff were women. While there were no female ministers, he stressed that a woman held the position of Vice-President of the country and that there was a female vice-minister. The number of women members of Parliament had increased and presently stood at 14. In the recent city and village council elections, 114 women had been elected.

With respect to the request for clarification made by the Worker member of the Netherlands as to the nature of the technical mission, he confirmed that his Government was not calling for a technical assistance mission, but rather a mission to discuss the application of the Convention. He noted that in future, however, technical cooperation may be requested as a follow-up to the technical mission. In response to the comments made by the Worker member of Turkey, he stated that the Labour Code contained the reference to sex as another prohibited ground of discrimination, and referred in this regard to the report submitted to the Committee of Experts. He stated that no jobs were forbidden to women. Concerning article 75 of the Labour Code dealing with difficult and harmful occupations, he noted that this issue had been raised by the Committee of Experts a few years previously and a detailed text had been provided in response. After the issue had been studied by the ILO, it was concluded that the provision was not discriminatory. He asserted that articles 75 to 78 of the Labour Code were based on ILO Conventions, and indicated that more information on this matter would be provided to the Committee of Experts in the Government's next report. On the issue of whether non-practising Muslims were discriminated against, he stressed that the Government did not investigate who is practising and non-practising.

Some of the issues raised by the speakers, such as the issue of domestic violence, were not directly related to the Convention, he contended that based on international comparison, the rate of domestic violence in the country was relatively low due to cultural traditions. He disagreed with the comment that there had been increasing pressure on women. He stated that if education and employment of women had been increasing, it was due to policies to empower and encourage them. On the issue of trade union representation, he stated that information would be provided to the Committee of Experts, but assured the Committee that independent trade unions were not prohibited.

He expressed his Government's commitment to inviting an ILO mission to the country to discuss the application of the Convention, including with regard to sex and religion and any other matters related to the application of the Convention. His Government had no objection to the mission also discussing these issues with the Iranian employers' organizations. Concerning the paramountcy of state security mentioned by the Employer members, the Government representative had mentioned this matter only in relation to public institutions and as one of the considerations. He confirmed that female judges could give verdicts.

With respect to the issues mentioned by the Worker members regarding the technical mission, the Government representative confirmed that the mission would discuss the questions of facts and interpretations. He concluded by confirming that the Government had decided definitively to invite an ILO mission.

The Worker members, referring to the statement of the Government representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, emphasized that it was most important that the agreement regarding the mission's objectives be clear. The four objectives that had been previously mentioned had not been contradicted by the Government representative in his comments. The Worker members understood in particular that information could be collected, that the mission could address all the questions raised by the Committee of Experts and that it would make a report for submission to the Committee of Experts.

The Committee took note of the detailed oral information given by the Government representative, as well as the subsequent discussion. It recalled that this case had been discussed in the Committee frequently over the years. It noted the efforts to promote employment of women and recognized religious minorities, but also noted with concern that the practical impact of those measures remains unclear, and that considerable problems in the application of the Convention persisted. It welcomed the Government's request for a technical mission to examine all the points raised by the Committee of Experts and the present Committee concerning the application of the Convention. It further noted the Government's willingness to improve the application of the Convention. It hoped that the mission would be carried out as soon as possible so that its results could be examined by the Committee of Experts at its next session. The Committee also asked the Government to continue to supply the Committee of Experts with full information on the measures taken to eliminate any form of discrimination prohibited by the Convention with regard to access to employment in law and practice. Finally, it expressed the firm hope that the Government would soon be in a position to report to the Committee of Experts that its law and practice were in conformity with the Convention on all the grounds covered by it.