The recent acid attacks in Esfahan have refueled the public debate over women’s rights in Iran. Large protests are urging the government to step up its criminal investigation and take measures to prevent this type of violence against women in the future. Officials have expressed "concern," but some Iranians doubt they will respond appropriately.

Women’s rights issues in Iran go much further than these types of horrible, headline-grabbing events. It is important to address the daily plight of women in Iran and how gender discrimination affects the whole of their social and economic lives.

This month, world governments have an opportunity to directly press Iranian authorities to improve women's rights during the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Oct. 31. UN member states will make recommendations about women’s rights, and the Iranian government will accept many. But Iran’s track record shows that without sustained pressure and follow-up, Iran’s commitments will not translate into action.

The UPR is a fully voluntary process with participation by all UN member states. Its structure leaves no room for excuses for not cooperating. At the UPR, governments make recommendations to each other and they can freely reject or accept these recommendations. Indeed, the UPR is a United Nations human rights mechanism Iran enthusiastically supports, and Iran’s UN representatives have referred to the process as one of “sanctity, reliability, credibility and integrity.'' Women’s rights will likely be a large part of the upcoming UPR discussion.