International Women’s Day Message
- Farshid Rashidifar
- Mar 8
- 2 min read
Iran Institute for Contemporary & Comparative Social Work (ICCSW)
March 8, 2026
The occasion of International Women’s Day, coinciding with the closing of Social Work Week, highlights the deep connection between social justice, human dignity, and the status of women in society. These principles stand at the core of the ethical commitments and professional values of the social work profession.
In recent decades, many women in Iran have lost their lives in the context of social change and civil protest. Names such as Neda Agha-Soltan and Mahsa Amini, together with many others who have died in recent events as well as women and girls who lost their lives in earlier years, have come to represent a difficult reality. The pursuit of a safer life, the protection of fundamental freedoms, and the preservation of human dignity have often required a heavy human cost.
Equal access to safety, freedom, and meaningful participation in social life is inseparable from the core principles of social justice and human rights. Any society in which half of its population faces structural barriers to these rights inevitably confronts serious challenges in realizing social justice in its fullest sense.
Remembering these names is not only an act of recalling past events. It is also a reminder of the responsibility that every society bears in protecting the value of human life, safeguarding human dignity, and strengthening the conditions necessary for social justice.
Today, amid profound social and political developments and a growing level of public awareness within Iranian society, the country stands at the threshold of a new stage of social transformation. As structural changes continue to unfold, the foundations for a more just social order are taking shape. In such a context, the reduction of structural inequalities becomes an essential direction for societal progress, leading toward a future in which women, like all other citizens, can live with security, dignity, and equal opportunity.
At the conclusion of Social Work Week and on the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Iran Institute for Contemporary & Comparative Social Work honors the memory of all women who have lost their lives in the pursuit of a more humane and secure life.
Respect for human dignity, the protection of the right to life, and the pursuit of social justice remain foundational principles of the social work profession around the world.
Iran Institute for Contemporary & Comparative Social Work (ICCSW)