There has been widespread controversy after the United Nations elected both Iran and China to the UN's commission on women's rights.
The move is controversial as Iran is regarded as having an extremely poor record on women's rights issues, there are also concerns about China's record on gender rights. Both countries are regarded by the Western powers as being involved in widespread human rights abuses against not only their female citizens but against their own populations in general.
Both countries will serve four years each on the commission, Iran received 43 votes and China received 48 votes, it is thought that at least 4 Western governments voted in favour of including the two nations.
The role of the UN commission is:
"… exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women."
At present, Iran allows marriage for girls aged as young as 13 and imprison women who refuse to wear Islamic headscarves in public. Around 450 Iranian women are also murdered in 'honour killings' each year, which involves a male family member killing a woman because she has been perceived to have 'dishonoured' her family or religion.
Iran is regarded as a dictatorship under the theocratic rule of the Ayatollah. The country does have elections, but all candidates and political parties must be sanctioned by the ruling religious leaders before the election takes place.
In China, women have been restricted, up until 2015, to having just one child, a policy that has now been reversed. The country is also regarded as having a poor record in combating domestic abuse in families. In recent years there has been widespread coverage of the treatment of the Uighur minority who live predominantly in the west of the country. It has been claimed that millions have been forced into concentration camps and forced to reject their culture and religion. It has been reported that some Uighur women have been forcibly sterilised in order to stop the population expanding. China denies that these human rights abuses are indeed taking place.
Hillel Neuer, executive director of human rights group UN Watch said of the appointments:
"Electing the Islamic Republic of Iran to protect women's rights is like making an arsonist into the town fire chief. It's absurd — and morally reprehensible. This is a black day for women's rights, and for all human rights."
[h/t: Daily Wire]
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