An anti-feminist Family Support Bill was to be voted on by the Iranian parliament on 28 August 2008, but the legislation was sent back to parliament’s legal committee for more work. The bill would allow a man to take a second wife without asking permission from his first wife. Under the current Personal Status Law, men can practice polygamy if they receive a judge’s approval. Women’s advocates say the Family Support Bill would encourage polygamy. The government offered no immediate comment to this action.
Since 2007, women activists have been working on the One Million Signatures campaign which calls for the end of polygamy, among other human rights measures. The Signatures movement stemmed from the Campaign for Equality since it began in 2006. In August 2008 Amnesty International called on the Iranian government to stop the harassment and detention of these activists. Compiled from: "Iran Women Activists See Victory On Polygamy Bill," Reuters, 2 September 2008; “Iran: Release Women’s Rights Activists,” Human Rights Watch, 7 April 2007; “Iraq: Decades of Suffering, Now Women Deserve Better,” Amnesty International, 22 February 2005.