In Iran, virginity before marriage is essential for many girls and their families. Sometimes men demand a virginity certificate a practice that the World Health Organization (WHO) deems to be against human rights. But in the past year, more and more people have been campaigning against it.
“You tricked me into marrying you because you’re not a virgin. Nobody would marry you if they knew the truth.” This is what Maryam’s husband said to her after they had intercourse for the first time.
She tried to reassure him that, even though she didn’t bleed, she had never had intercourse before. But he didn’t believe her and asked her to get a virginity certificate.
This is not uncommon in Iran. After getting engaged, many women go to a doctor and get a test that proves they’ve never had sex.
However, according to the WHO, virginity testing has no scientific merit.
Maryam’s certificate stated that her hymen type was “elastic”. This means she might not bleed after penetrative sex. “It hurt my pride. I didn’t do anything wrong, but my husband kept insulting me,” she said. “I couldn’t take it anymore, so I took some pills and tried to kill myself.”
Just in time, she was taken to a hospital and survived. “I will never forget those dark days. I lost 20kg [3 stone] during that time.”
Women and men around the country have been campaigning to end virginity testing. Last November, an online petition received almost 25,000 signatures within a single month. This was the first time virginity testing was openly challenged by many people in Iran.
