Page 33 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (CONTINUED) Ending Sex Discrimination in the Law EQUALITY NOW – BEIJING+25 Although Section 1 of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution theoretically provides every person “equal protection of the laws,” the U.S. Constitution does not explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which prohibits the denial of equality of rights under the law on account of sex was passed by the United States Congress in 1972 but needed 38 states to ratify it by 1982. As of January 2020, 38 states have now ratified the ERA, but the deadline still represents a hurdle to its inclusion in the Constitution. Take action to help ratify the ERA here!31 EVIDENCE Women’s testimony is worth half that of men in these discriminatory laws. Below are examples of laws which must be amended or repealed. IRAN The Islamic Penal Code of 2013, Books I, II and V: Article 199. The standard [of proof] for testimony in all offenses shall be two male witnesses; unless in zina, livat, tafkhiz, and musaheqeh which shall be proved by four male witnesses. In order to prove a zina punishable by the hadd punishment of flogging, shaving [of head] and/or banishment, testimony of two just men and four just women shall be sufficient. If the punishment provided is other than the above, testimony of at least three men and two women shall be required. In such cases, if two just men and four just women testify for the offense, only the hadd punishment of flogging shall be given. Bodily offenses punishable by diya shall also be proved by one male witness and two female witnesses. Take Action – Iran President Hassan Rouhani Presidency Office Pasteur Avenue Tehran 13168-43311 IRAN Email: rouhani@csr.ir iran@un.int (Mission to the UN in New York) Twitter: @HassanRouhani Article 209. Where, in financial claims such as diya for bodily offenses, and also in claims which are about claiming a sum of money such as a negligent or quasi-intentional bodily offense which must be compensated by a diya, the private claimant is unable to provide an admissible evidence which meets the requirements under Shari’a, s/he [still] can produce one male witness or two female witnesses together with an oath and prove the financial part of his/her claim. Article 638. Women who appear in public without prescribed Islamic dress (hejab-eshar’i), shall be sentenced to either imprisonment of between 10 days and 2 months, or a fine of between 50,000 and 500,000 rials.