Iran was deeply involved in an imposed and destructive war from September 1980 through August 1988. The war devastated many cities and inflicted heavy damages on life and property. Many families had to leave their war-ravaged towns and cities to seek refuge in urban areas away from enemy assaults. Even if the entire family could not leave their threatened home, women and children had to evacuate to safer areas. The Foundation for Refugees of the Imposed-War was instrumental in providing facilities for the refugees during the war. After the war, the Foundation took responsibility for the reconstruction of war-devastated cities and the return of the refugees to their home towns.

Another grave consequence of the imposed war was the martyrdom of countless numbers of men. There is no doubt that women suffered tremendously and had to endure enormous hardships. The Martyrs Foundation of the Islamic Revolution is vested with the responsibility of helping the families of the martyred, missing and prisoners of war. The services provided by the Foundation are varied, and include among others the following:

1. Educational and cultural services which consist of:

• Creation of facilities to promote the educational status of the wives and children of the martyred at all levels and the provision of scholarships for their higher education.
• Establishment of cultural centres and libraries for the families of the martyred.
• Organization of training courses to promote the education of the wives of the martyred in different aspects of life and training of their children.
• Establishment of training courses in handicrafts, carpet weaving, sewing, typing, etc., for the wives of the martyred.
• Organization of pilgrimages and recreational tours for the wives and children of the martyred
• Publication of the Banovan-e Shahed weekly magazine.

2. Social and Economic Services which include:

• Establishing family allowance and pension for the wives of martyrs.
• Providing housing facilities.
• Creating employment opportunities.
• Providing health and medical services and dispensing medical drugs and facilities.
• Providing financial assistance to solve the martyrs' family's economic problems.
• Offering advisory services for training, education, marriage, etc.
• Establishing chain stores to serve the needs of the families of the martyrs.
• Providing similar facilities for the war-disabled and their families.

A. Refugee Women

Since 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran has hosted four million refugees as a consequence of political strife and armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. In compliance with the principles of Islam, the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran considers as its responsibility the extension of support to the oppressed and deprived and believes that such endeavors cannot be limited by geographical boundaries. This open-door policy has enabled Afghan and Iraqi refugees to settle in Iran for years. The notable example of this is the Iraqi refugee influx following the Persian Gulf Crisis in August 1990, when 1.3 million Kurdish refugees, including scores of women and children confronted with a very perilous situation fled to the Islamic Republic of Iran and were provided with food and shelter. In 1991 and 1992, political improvements led to repatriation of many Iraqi and a considerable number of Afghan refugees to their homelands. Nevertheless, according to Government figures, by the end of 1993, it was estimated that 1,900,000 Afghan and 700,000 Iraqi refugees continued to live in Iran.

The majority of Afghan refugees lives in the eastern provinces and the rest is scattered throughout the country, while the Iraqi refugees live in the western provinces, including 165,000 refugees who are stationed in refugee camps. Both groups are considered to be well integrated in Iran. The annual growth rates of the Afghan and Iraqi refugee population is, respectively, 3.05% and 4.4%. Women constitute 45% and 48% of the Afghan and Iraqi refugee population, respectively. Among the refugee population in Iran, there are a number of women and children refugees from the Azerbaijan - Armenia conflict.

1. Health

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has maintained a rural refugee health network to introduce higher health standards among the refugee population in Iran. The program which is implemented through the national health network has ensured the reduction of the mortality rate among refugee population on the whole, and specifically among infants and pregnant and nursing women through post- and pre-natal care. Through this program, 600 Afghan and 200 Iraqi traditional birth attendants were trained to assist with child delivery, 99% of which takes place at home. This is considered a major step in involving and training refugee women to assist their own community. Moreover, the significant outcome of the program was a 50% reduction in the mortality rate for pregnant women and a 75% reduction in infant mortality caused by neonatal tetanus, within the period of two years (1988 to 1990).

2. Education

According to government statistics, only 19% of the Afghan refugees who arrived in Iran after 1979, were literate. In 1992, the rate had increased to 41.4%. This remarkable achievement is due to the fact that about 450,000 Afghan children are benefiting from national educational facilities, mainly at the primary education level. Reportedly, an additional 200,000 adults have also been covered by the Literacy Campaign classes. Nevertheless, during 1989-1992, out of more than 600,000 children and adolescence of school age (7-19 years), only one-third were enrolled in schools each year, the remaining two-thirds were either deprived of schooling or had already joined the labor force.

During the same period, female students constituted less than 40% of school enrolment and only a small fraction of the adult female population, 10 to 15% - benefited from literacy classes.

The Iraqi refugees enjoy much higher levels of literacy. About 75% of the Iraqi male and 60% of the Iraqi female refugees in Iran are literate. Of about 20,000 Iraqi children and youth of school age who live in the refugee camps in the western and south-western parts of Iran, more than three-fourths attend schools at primary, junior secondary and secondary levels.

3. Income Generation

Refugee women coming primarily from rural backgrounds with little or no education who were normally engaged in traditional types of economic activities such as carpet weaving, animal husbandry, farming, etc., are faced with limited employment opportunities when they settle in urban areas of Iran. The remarkable effort of refugee women to adjust to new living conditions is a valuable potential to build on as a basis for their further advancement.

In this regard, and considering the growing refugee caseload in the urban areas, the UNHCR introduced several income-generating projects with the objective of enhancing possibilities of employment and self-employment, social participation and educational development for refugee women. In this relation, from 1986 to 1991, the UNHCR, through government counterparts implemented income-generating and training projects in the areas of sewing, knitting and carpet and kilim weaving. Some 12,500 Afghan and Iraqi women benefited directly from these projects.

4. Protection and Legal Assistance

The Islamic Republic of Iran is a signatory to the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol. In view of the cultural, social and religious norms and values prevailing in both countries of origin as well as in Iran, refugee women benefit from a secure social environment and are properly protected in Iran.

5. Conclusion

Afghan and Iraqi refugee women in Iran, a large number of approximately 1,200,000, generally constitute a young and growing population with high rates of fertility, young age at marriage, high rate of illiteracy and low standards of health. Refugee women in Iran, except a small Christian minority, are Muslims from rural or nomadic backgrounds with pronounced religious, cultural and traditional ties and a strong sense of kinship. They have endured the traumatic experience of war, loss of family members, displacement and the painful experience of adjusting to new living conditions as refugees.

Nevertheless, refugee women have benefited from familiar social and cultural surroundings in the Islamic Republic of Iran and for more than 15 years have enjoyed higher standards of health, sanitation, education, schooling, etc. The right step towards the progress of refugee women is the provision of educational facilities in areas of literacy, schooling, health, family planning and skills training.