Sara Shahverdi embodies the story of women’s rights in Iran and the potential for change created by local female leadership. A former midwife, who became the first elected female leader in her community, she mentors girls, challenges child marriage and confronts deeply rooted systems of power in a rural Iranian village.
She is the protagonist of a powerful documentary, Cutting Through Rocks, by Iranian filmmakers Mohammadreza Eyni and Sara Khaki.
On International Women’s Day (8 March), the United Nations Regional Information Centre (UNRIC), in partnership with the Luxembourg City Film Festival, organised a Ciné-ONU screening of this Oscar-nominated documentary, followed by an all-female panel discussion on women’s rights themes raised by the film. Members of the Iranian diaspora were also present in the audience.
“The directors spent eight years producing the film, witnessing gradual shifts in attitudes over time,” said Skerdi Zanaj, Professor of Economics and Gender Equality Officer at the University of Luxembourg. “A reminder that change in women standing up for their rights is often slow, but possible.”
She continued that via research on the film-makers, she found out that “more women in that community now share ownership of their homes with their husbands, more girls go to school because the village is building a new and bigger school.”
Zanaj joined Julieta Marotta, Assistant Professor at UNU-MERIT (the Netherlands) and Elisabeth Gueye, Gender and Human Rights Expert at LuxDev (the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency), for the discussion, moderated by UNRIC’s Marian Blondeel.
Drawing on her expertise, Elisabeth Gueye highlighted the scale and persistence of child marriage worldwide. She stressed that addressing deeply rooted challenges requires a multilayered approach.
“Ending child marriage requires more than laws,” Gueye said. “This means setting 18 as the minimum age without exceptions, aligning national legislation with international human rights frameworks, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); and ensuring enforcement by trained police officers and judges.”
“Lasting change also depends on robust national action plans, investment in girls’ education, family support, and active community engagement with local leaders, young people, and parents, so that protecting girls becomes everyone’s responsibility,” she added.
Julieta Marotta emphasized the importance of representation and awareness of rights. While many countries have adopted CEDAW, she noted that legal frameworks alone are not sufficient if people are not aware of their rights or if those rights are not enforced.
“When we challenge long-standing traditions, change takes time,” she noted, “we need patience and strong advocates”. Marotta pointed to the film’s protagonist as a “textbook” example of grassroots leadership, demonstrating how this local Iranian leader created practical solutions and sought long-term impact.
Skerdi Zanaj also highlighted the need to support leaders like film protagonist Sara Shahverdi. Other than recognition, “we need to provide financial resources and support for the formal and informal networks of these grassroots leaders. Real transformation in restrictive contexts like this rural village will not come from outside solutions, but from the resilience and knowledge of women and men within the communities.”
The discussion highlighted how the story of one woman in a rural Iranian village reflects broader global challenges. “Her story is local, but her message is universal,” moderator Marian Blondeel concluded, while the panel stressed that advancing gender equality requires equal representation, action at every level and the persistence of resilient advocates.
The screening took place against the backdrop of military escalation in the region, speakers noted that conflict and instability undermine development, and when development is set back, women and girls often suffer the most. The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, stressed that “all the unlawful attacks are causing tremendous suffering and harm to civilians throughout the region. It is time to stop the fighting and get to serious diplomatic negotiations.”