The Iranian nightmare Ukraine should never see

Proposed amendments to Ukrainian law would have put Ukraine closer to Iran by allowing child marriage in exceptional cases. Yesterday, Sasha joined a protest against these oppressive laws.

Editor’s note:

The Counteroffensive monitors events in Ukraine and around the world every day so you don’t miss what matters most. Upgrade your subscription to read our reporting without limits!

In addition to Ukraine, we sent our reporters to Armenia, which borders Iran. To follow developments in the war involving Iran, subscribe to our new publication, Iran War Dispatches, where we publish reporting and the latest updates from the region every day!

It is quarter past 11, and my friend and I are excited and a little lost.

The park next to the red building of Ukraine’s most famous university is buzzing in anticipation, as new people arrive to join others, like thin streams flowing into the river. Bright clothing and hairstyles, flags fluttering in the wind, eyes scanning the crowd to find familiar faces – the mood here would be almost festive, if it were not for one thing. Almost everyone is holding a banner or quickly painting one: we are here to protest.

About 2,000 people gathered in the center of Kyiv to take part in the Women’s March.

On March 8, International Women’s Day, women from around the world defend their right to fair treatment in the family, equal career opportunities, as compared to men, freedom to express their identity and feel safe from discrimination and gender-related violence.

This year, despite the danger of public events during the war, hundreds of women gathered in the centre of Kyiv to walk in the first Women’s March since 2021.

The amendments to the Civil Code of Ukraine, offered in January, put a lot of emphasis on moral behavior in the family. Returning some old rules and specifying new ones, it creates more pressure on vulnerable social groups, such as young women, mothers of infants, and LGBTQ people. On the other hand, it could give more latitude for those who commit domestic violence.

Letting these amendments pass would pull Ukraine away from the prospective EU membership and back to the Middle Ages, as some protesters noted, but our private law is far from a solely private matter.

If Ukraine narrows down the freedom of its own citizens after four years of an existential war against Russia, it would show authoritarian regimes like Iran, where discrimination against women is pervasive for the last 40 years, that democracy is slowly failing. That is why I, along with thousands of people, woke up at dawn and headed to the center of Kyiv on Sunday morning.

After the paywall:

-Why did Sasha join the Women’s March for the first time?

-How did Ukraine almost allow child marriages in certain cases?

-Why are women’s rights still timely during the war?