Mashhad Deputy Prosecutor Announces Case of 30 Children Who Were Sexually Abused and Raped

The deputy prosecutor of Mashhad has said that during the implementation of a project titled "Awnings of Hope," 30 children who have been subjected to "sexual abuse and rape" have been supported.

Nayreh Abedinzadeh, who spoke to ISNA News Agency on Monday, November 3, did not explain the time period in which the rape and sexual abuse cases against these children were related, but she said that the minimum punishment for the perpetrators in these cases is flogging and the maximum punishment for them is execution.

He also announced the implementation of a plan to organize child laborers and said that last week, 85 child laborers were identified in Mashhad, "of which 24 were Iranian children and 61 were foreign nationals."

Ms. Abedinzadeh also announced the arrest of five people who she said were the "leaders" of these children.

He said that some leaders earn 10 million tomans a night by exploiting children, and "ultimately 20,000 tomans reaches the child."

The deputy prosecutor of Mashhad has emphasized that some of the children who have been identified may have been "sexually abused and raped" and that there are signs of assault on their bodies.

Mahmoud Abbasi, Iran's Deputy Minister of Justice, also said on November 1 that the situation of child labor in the provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan and Khorasan Razavi is "catastrophic" and that the number of child laborers in these provinces is "very high."

The official did not provide statistics on this issue and said that most of the government statistics on child labor are incorrect.

In Iran, the statistics on child labor and the definition of those who are considered child laborers are not clear and precise.

Government and municipal officials say that there are about half a million child laborers in Iran, but non-governmental organizations say that there are 7 million child laborers in Iran.

Source: Radbo Farda