A Comparative Study of Mechanisms for Preventing Transphobic Hate Crimes: Case Study of Iran and Canada

Subject Areas :

Fereydoun Amirabadi Farahani ¹ , Mahmoud Gauom zadah ^{2 *}

1 -
2 - Professor, Department of Islamic Studies and Law, Saveh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Saveh, Iran

Received: 2025-05-31 Accepted : 2025-06-02 Published : 2025-06-24

Keywords: Gender identity, transsexual, transphobia, hate crime, prevention,

Abstract :

Transgender individuals, due to the incongruence between their gender identity and the sex assigned to them at birth, often express gender behaviors that differ from societal expectations. This condition has rendered them one of the most vulnerable groups to hate crimes. The critical importance of preventing violence and hate motivated by gender identity and expression led the United Nations Human Rights Council to adopt a resolution in 2016 addressing the need to combat and prevent hate crimes against transgender people. At the national level, both Iran and Canada legally recognize transgender individuals as persons with a distinct gender identity. However, Iran’s legal system has largely limited itself to scattered and ad hoc preventive measures, lacking a coherent and structured approach. In contrast, Canada has taken significant steps in prevention, particularly through public awareness initiatives, the establishment of safe spaces and shelters, specialized hate crime police units, and support services for transgender victims. Moreover, the criminalization of specific hate crime acts and the imposition of aggravated penalties for offenses targeting transgender persons have reinforced deterrence. The central research question of this paper is: What are the key components of an effective preventive legal framework against such crimes? The hypothesis posited is that a strategy combining the three levels of crime prevention along with differentiated criminal responses can serve as an effective approach. Accordingly, this study aims to outline a suitable and effective preventive legal framework for combating hate crimes against transgender individuals through a comparative analysis of the Iranian and Canadian legal systems.

References:

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