Women fast in support of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Women are being asked to join a rolling 24-hour fast to put pressure on the British and Iranian governments for the release of jailed charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

The campaign by the women’s rights organisation FiLiA was inspired by her husband Richard Ratcliffe’s hunger strike outside the UK's Foreign Office.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is under house arrest in Tehran after being released from prison, but is awaiting the start of a second jail term.

Among the women taking part are political campaigner Sophie Walker and filmmaker Vaishnavi Sundar.

“Nazanin has been waiting for us for too long,” said Ms Walker, the founding leader of the UK-based Women's Equality Party.

“I’m utterly ashamed that our government has left her alone, intimidated and ill-treated for years.

“I hope that this action prompts our prime minister and foreign minister to think again, and I hope that there is some small comfort for Nazanin in knowing that her sisters stand with her.

“The power of women’s solidarity can be a comfort in the darkest times. I hope FiLiA’s campaign can bring some warmth and light to her and I am glad to join.

“She and many others are being used as pawns in geopolitical games that separate families and multiply suffering. We call on the British government to support Richard in securing Nazanin's release and to reunite Nazanin with her daughter, Gabriella.”

Mrs Zaghari-Ratclife was imprisoned in April 2016, when she visited Iran to introduce her daughter, Gabriella, to her parents.

Richard Ratcliffe, husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian detained in Iran since 2016, sits in a tent outside the Foreign Office in London after beginning a hunger strike. AFP

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband and their daughter Gabriella. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained in Tehran in April 2016 on trumped-up charges of espionage and has already served a full five-year jail term. AFP

Mr Ratcliffe holds a picture of his wife outside the Foreign Office in London. His hunger strike is aimed at putting pressure on the UK to secure her release. AFP

Mr Ratcliffe on hunger strike outside the Iranian embassy in 2019. The protest lasted for 15 days and was done in solidarity with his wife, who took the same action behind bars in Tehran. AFP

Mr Ratcliffe intends to sleep in a tent at night. PA

A portrait of Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe is displayed by Mr Ratcliffe outside the Foreign Office. Getty

Her husband has staged a high-profile campaign to keep the pressure on the Iranian and British governments.

Mr Ratcliffe and FiLiA said they only want people healthy enough for fasting to go without food but that other people can add pressure by writing to their MPs.

“It is deplorable that women from all walks of life have to resort to these tactics to ensure women's human rights are protected,” FiLiA spokeswoman Raquel Rosario Sanchez said.

“She and many others are being used as pawns in geopolitical games that separate families and multiply suffering.”

“We are inspired by the courage shown by Nazanin,” Ms Sanchez said.

Racecard

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The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

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Gender pay parity on track in the UAE

The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.

"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."

Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.

"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.

As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.