At the National Conference on World Marriage Day held at the IRIB International Conference Center, Massoumeh Ebtekar, VP for Women and Family Affairs, considered marriage to be a foundation for the health of the community and the general social wellb
The vice president emphasized that the promotion of marriage culture should be based on Quranic concepts.
Pointing out that for good choices free from coercion and violence, we must guide young people so as not to lead to divergence from society, she stated, “Striving for a simple marriage and creating the ground for ardent kindness is one of the essential ways to promote marriage culture.”
She referred to the steps the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs has taken regarding marriage and the family unit, saying, “Accompanied by the Ministry of Sports and Youth in the general framework of family policy and in accordance with Article 6 of the Sixth Plan Act and the Special Sector Policies that the president has communicated on family matters, the missions were defined, the most important of which is macro policy making and creating strong social support for the family.”
She stated that with the formation of the National Headquarters for Women and Family, significant legal steps have been taken on the subject of marriage. “These laws have been delegated to the responsible governmental bodies in the form pre-marriage, marriage, and post-marriage education,” she continued.
She added, “Reforms in marriage policies have been made and training and counseling hours have been increased. The Ministry of Health and Sports and other bodies have also taken steps to improve health, psychological education and training skills.”
The vice president for women and family affairs also noted, “These trainings are mandatory based on the approved legislation.”
The National Family Dialogue and Intergenerational Dialogue from policy-based programs promote marriage culture to improve family conditions in the country. “The first phase of this national project has been completed in 31 provinces of the country and we have been able to address the problems of families according to the conditions of each region,” Ebtekar mentioned.
She added, “A common issue in all surveys is the communication disorder between family members, which is extremely lacking in terms of quality and quantity.”
Ebtekar noted communication opportunities have decreased from a minimum of two hours of conversation in the last 20 years to 20 minutes, and from at least 1,500 words to merely 400, and said, “The time and opportunity for having conversations should occur alongside understanding, emotional reciprocity and family comfort.”
She cited education and life skills, especially communication skills, as the goal of the National Family Dialogue Project, and said that the Ministry of Education has been interacting with us in this regard and developed a personal training course accordingly.”
The Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs