- Talking prince
- BBC News
The Iranian government continues to deny any existence of prostitution in the country
“I feel ashamed of what I’m doing, but do I have any other choice?”
This is what Nada, a divorcee in Tehran, said. Nada works as a hairdresser during the day, but at night she sells her body, and feels compelled to do so in order to have enough to live on.
“The economy is going downhill and the prices of commodities are going up every day,” she says. “I live in a country where women are not respected. I am a mother of one child and I don’t have a husband. I have to take care of my son. Prostitution provides a decent income, and I think about it now to buy a small house in the city center.” I’m literally selling my soul and that’s the sad truth.”
In 2012, Iran announced the launch of a national program to combat prostitution. However, according to unofficial reports prepared by NGOs and independent researchers, the number of prostitutes is increasing.
Iran’s conservative religious establishment officially denies that there are any sex workers in the country, calling prostitution a Western scheme to corrupt the youth.
Unofficial data published by non-governmental organizations suggests that the age of sex workers in Iran is declining. In 2016, girls as young as 12 entered the world of prostitution there.
The Aftab Association, a non-governmental organization concerned with drug treatment in Iran, said in 2019 that the number of prostitution workers in Tehran is close to ten thousand, of whom 35 percent are married women.
According to dr. Amir Mahmoud Harishi, a professor of sociology at the University of Tehran, the number of prostitutes in Tehran may be double the previous number.
Due to the lack of employment opportunities available to women in Iran, and the absence of the concept of gender equality, many Iranian women are forced into prostitution to support themselves and their families. But this job carries many risks.
Mahnaz, a student at the University of Tehran who works in prostitution on a temporary basis, says: “Men know that prostitution is illegal in Iran, and that its practice leads to imprisonment, so they take advantage of this point.” She added: “On several occasions I had sex with people who refused to pay the agreed fee, but I could not go to the authorities to complain.”
Mahnaz says that the high cost of living in Tehran has become unbearable, and that working in other fields will not help her meet her requirements.
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The cost of living in Iran has risen dramatically, making it difficult for many people to obtain the necessities of life.
“temporary marriage”
Many sex workers were executed and brothels were closed in Iran in the wake of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
However, some of them believe that the concept of temporary marriage has been misused in places in an attempt to legalize the sexual use of women.
Temporary marriage is legal under the Shia Islamic system that prevails in Iran, and it is not considered a form of prostitution. This marriage is widespread in the “holy” cities of Mashhad and Qom, which are visited by many Shiites from all over the world.
There are now many services that allow temporary marriages in Iran through the Internet, including services available through Instagram and WhatsApp, and these services say they have government approval and support.
There is no doubt that the economic sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran were among the factors that contributed to the worsening of the phenomenon of prostitution. Since last year, the inflation rate in Iran has increased by 48.6 percent. The unemployment rate also rose, and workers’ wages did not rise.
In these circumstances, the number of young men, between the ages of 20 and 35, who have sex with women for pay has also increased. Male sex workers have also appeared in major Iranian cities.
Kamiar (28), who works as an accountant in a supermarket, is an example of this phenomenon.
Kamyar stayed with his parents until last year and could not have made it without his father’s help. Now he can afford to rent an apartment in central Tehran and hopes to emigrate abroad one day.
He says: “I find my clients through social media accounts. The ages of these women range from their thirties to their forties. I once had a client who was fifty-four years old. They treat me well, pay good wages and always sleep in their houses. I still get a lot of clients from them.” way of their recommendations.
It should be mentioned that Kaymar is an engineer, but he sees no room for advancement in the field he loves.
He says: “I used to dream of becoming an engineer but there were no job opportunities. I loved a girl but we couldn’t get married because I couldn’t get a job. I’m not proud on what I do. now, sex with strangers for money was not a dream when I was young man. I’m probably shy but this job pays for me. I live in a country where there is no future but misery .”