Judiciary Reports ‘Organized Exploitation’ of Children by ‘Municipality Contractors’

An Iranian judiciary official says “organized exploitation” of children is occurring “in waste recycling workshops of municipality contractors”.

Mohammad Fathi, Director General of the Office of Women and Family Affairs and Cultural and Social Prevention at the Judiciary, said “only” organized groups exploiting children, as well as waste recycling workshops belonging to municipality contractors or independent workshops, force children to work for long hours in completely harmful, non-standard, and poorly paid conditions.

This judiciary official did not address how these groups would be dealt with legally.

Earlier, Mehdi Agharian, a member of Tehran City Council, issued a notice to the municipality requesting it to end any employment of children and adolescents in waste collection and to supervise contractor performance in this field. A notice that has been repeatedly raised over the past years, yet no fundamental measures have been taken to address child labor.

The shrinking of people’s livelihood due to poor economic conditions, cultural poverty, and lack of facilities in small cities has led to forced migration, one result of which is an increase in the number of working children. According to reports, these children, who are between 10 and 17 years old, are assigned for long periods to waste sorting workshops or other workshops due to poverty, economic-cultural problems, or because they have been handed over to gangs and mafia, spending time begging on the streets as well.

In Iran, based on Article 79 of the Labor Law, employment of children under 15 years old is prohibited. According to this law, if an employer hires a child under 15, they will be in violation and face monetary punishment the first time, monetary punishment and imprisonment the second time, and the third time, in addition to these penalties, the factory or workshop will be sealed and the violator’s work license revoked.

Based on conducted research, approximately 80 percent of working children face stunted growth, weight loss, and oral and dental diseases. Many of these children also suffer from eye diseases and suffer from respiratory and heart diseases. Some statistics indicate that 82 percent of working children suffer from skin diseases and 60 percent suffer from digestive system diseases.

Amanollah Gharaei Moghaddam, a sociologist, says that from a few years ago until now, due to participation in joint meetings between the municipality and law enforcement, warnings have been issued about the increase in the number of working children; however, the practical measures taken in this field have not been very effective.

Although many government and non-governmental organizations, including welfare and municipalities, are active in organizing and addressing child labor, one could perhaps mention “Imam Ali Society” as the most well-known name. A non-governmental organization that was active for more than two decades with the goal of “reducing social problems and providing assistance to those in need, especially children and women,” but recently was “convicted on charges such as insulting the leader and founder of the Islamic Republic” and “actions against national security,” and with a complaint from the Tharallah Headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, its founders were arrested, and ultimately, by order of the Ministry of Interior during Hassan Rouhani’s second government, it was dissolved.