Khaz'ali and Grahn-Laasonen exchanged views on a number women-related issued in their respective countries while they sat down face-to-face on the sidelines of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women on Tuesday night, according to the IRNA reporter at New York.
We believe that privacy should be taken seriously to protect women against violence because researches indicate that failure to respect women's privacy has led to an increase in violence against them, the Iranian vice-president told the Finnish minister after thanking her concern on the issues of hijab and chastity.
Although Iranian laws punish men who commit gender violence, but looking at the hijab as a preventive measure, women's safety has been established more seriously, she added.
In the shadow of the existing security system in Iran, women with Hijab have been excelling with complete safety in various social, sports, cultural, artistic and scientific arenas, which are confirmed by official statistics and documents, Khaz'ali clarified.
She also stressed the need for the respect to the cultural diversity in all countries, saying the approach of some western nations toward violence against women is punitive and curative, while Iran’s approach toward this issue is preventive, and the statistics of international organizations seem to confirm the success of the Islamic Republic in this regard.
The Iranian Vice President also touched on gender equality after the Finnish minister called it the central issue in her country.
The Islamic Republic also believes in promoting "gender justice" with the aim of improving the status of women and families. But we believe in gender justice that goes beyond gender equality which is not sufficient, fair and a guarantee of women’s comfort and benefits considering their characteristics and conditions, she emphasized, adding that Iran has been providing special concessions in the form of laws to women, especially pregnant and nursing mothers with the aim of women’s development and progress as well as improving their status in families.
"In Iran, as per laws, women are not obliged to provide for the family and this is considered to be the duty of men," Khaz'ali further said.
Grahn-Laasonen, for her part, also highlighted her country’s approach toward women as well as initiatives taken by respective governments in this regard in Finland.
The development of women's progress and improvement of human rights is considered a serious matter in the welfare state of Finland, she said, adding that “ensuring gender equality for women is the center of all government programs”.
At the end of their meeting, both the Iranian vice-president and the Finnish minister of social security condemned the killing of women and children across the world and emphasized the need for joint measures to more seriously pursue sending humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip where people, especially women and children have been grappling with dire humanitarian situations.
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