Statement 1670 by Defense of the Rights of Child and Adolescent Committee on Iranian Children: Victims of Structural Poverty

Iranian Children: Victims of Structural Poverty

Despite the recent World Day Against Child Labor, thousands of children in Iran, contrary to human rights standards and international commitments, remain deprived of fundamental rights such as education, health, security, welfare, and human development. Child labor is not merely a social harm; it is a clear violation of human rights and human dignity, depriving children of their basic rights.

Child labor directly conflicts with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. These documents emphasize children’s rights to an adequate standard of living, education, and protection against economic exploitation. In domestic law, the Constitution and Labor Law of the Islamic Republic of Iran foresee free education and the prohibition of employing children under the legal age. However, the realities on streets, recycling centers, underground workshops, and informal jobs reveal a deep gap between legal obligations and the actual status of children. According to the latest reports, in the 2025–2026 academic year, nearly one million children dropped out of school, most of whom joined the workforce. Moreover, more than 700,000 children work on a permanent or seasonal basis. The spread of child labor is the result of poverty, economic crisis, inflation, unemployment, a weak social support system, and inefficient public policies that have turned children into the primary victims of these conditions.

The Islamic Republic of Iran joined the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1993 (1372 SH) and pledged to guarantee the rights contained in this convention for all children. Under Article 32, governments are obligated to protect children against economic exploitation and work that is likely to harm their physical, mental, moral, or educational development. Furthermore, Articles 28 and 27 emphasize the right to free and equal education, as well as an adequate standard of living for every child’s holistic development. Additionally, Iran is a member state of International Labor Organization (ILO) Conventions No. 138 and 182, committing to prevent the employment of children in hazardous jobs, stop exploitation, and implement effective policies to eliminate child labor.

Convention on the Rights of the Child

• Article 27 – Right to an adequate standard of living
• Article 28 – Right to education
• Article 29 – Aims of education
• Article 32 – Protection against economic exploitation and child labor
• Article 36 – Protection against other forms of exploitation

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• Article 25 – Right to an adequate standard of living and special care/protection for children
• Article 26 – Right to free education

UNESCO 2030 Agenda

• Goal 4 – Quality, inclusive, and equitable education for all

The Islamic Republic of Iran is obligated, based on international laws and treaties, to:

Adhere to its commitments stemming from the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and ILO Conventions 138 and 182.

Formulate and implement transparent and effective programs to eliminate child labor.

Guarantee equal, free, and non-discriminatory access to education for all children.

Provide effective support to vulnerable groups such as working children, street children, migrant children, and children of other vulnerable groups.

Enable monitoring by civil society and human rights organizations by publishing accurate and transparent statistics.

Furthermore, children’s needs do not depend on the mercy of duty-bearers. No political, economic, or ideological expediency can justify depriving children of their fundamental rights. A society in which children are forced to work is, in reality, trading its future for poverty, inequality, and injustice.

Being a child is a right, not a privilege for abusers to exploit.