Rezvan Moghadda : Sheida Kardegar, a 15-year-old girl from the village of “Darunkola Sharqi” in Babol
County, was stabbed to death on the evening of Monday, June 10, 2025, by a man
whose marriage proposal she had refused.
This crime, like many similar killings, has its roots in the victim’s basic and human
demand for the “right to her own body and life.” However, unlike more common cases,
the killer was not a family member but a stranger who, simply because his proposal was
rejected, decided to kill a teenage girl.
The method of Sheida’s murder once again demonstrates that in patriarchal societies,
women and girls are exposed to violence and death in all roles—whether as a wife,
sister, mother, or even as a girl who has not yet made choices for her future. In such
cultures, a woman’s “no,” even to a man who has no relation to her, is interpreted as a
threat to male pride and dominance, and a man’s response to that “no” is often deadly
violence.
A serious question arises: if Sheida had agreed to marry this man, how would life have
unfolded under the same roof with someone who could not tolerate hearing “no”? What
kinds of violence would he have inflicted in everyday life and in their marital
relationship? Did her family or society have the capacity or will to protect her?
The experience of thousands of women in Iran shows that many of them continue to
face physical, psychological, and sexual violence even after marriage, and in many
cases, the threat of death still looms over their lives. Yet, when violence occurs within
the framework of marriage, families and society often treat it as a “private matter,”
leaving the victim alone with the justification that “this was her own choice.”
The killing of Sheida Kardegar is a clear example of the violent structures of patriarchy,
which systematically endanger the security and life of women and girls by denying them
the right to make choices.

#StopHonorKillingsCampaign

#SecurityForWomen

#WomenHaveTheRightToLive

#NoToViolenceAgainstWomen

#IslamicRepublicResponsibleForWomenMurders

#SheidaKardegarBabol

#NoToMisogynisticCulture

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