Violence in Premarital Relationships in Iran An Exploratory Qualitative Research

Violence against women is still happening around the world, generating physical and psychological pain for many of its victims. Violence in premarital relationships is an implicit aspect of violence against girls and women in Iran. Younger girls in premarital relationships are particularly vulnerable to physical, sexual, psychological and social violence due to the lack of socio-cultural and legal support. Premarital relationships are legally forbidden and culturally shunned. For women, the cultural emphasis on maintaining virginity and chastity hinders heterosexual relationship before marriage. Nevertheless, dating is a common albeit secret part of the lives of Iranian youth. In this paper, I investigate prevalent forms of physical, sexual, psychological and social violence against female dating partners in urban Iran. I discuss that being afraid of stigmatization and losing marriage prospects, fear of facing more violence by male family members, and not getting support from family, society, police and the legal system make young girls easier targets of victimization in premarital relationships. By using a qualitative approach and semi-structured interviews with forty-four dating victims, this paper explores experiences of violence and addresses diverse factors that might lead to victimization. I also address some of the mechanisms that lead to the victims’ inability to end abusive relationships.