Child Abuse

In Iran, there is not a day that goes by without a report of abuse and violence against children, or disciplinary and judicial actions taken against them. The Iranian Parliament, after months of deliberation, has deemed 'failure to report child abuse' a crime. Who is a child and what rights do they have? This program addresses questions in this regard. Child abuse is considered a public crime under Iranian law. This means that anyone who witnesses any form of child abuse can report it, and the prosecutor's office is obligated to pursue the matter. However, preventive protective laws in this area have not yet been established, and there are many contradictions. According to Article 220 of the Islamic Penal Code, if a father kills his child, he will not be punished for the act of murder. This article states: 'A father or paternal grandfather who kills his child will not be subject to retribution and will be sentenced to pay blood money to the heirs of the victim and to punishment.' While statistics show that most filicides are committed by fathers, this law does not apply to mothers, who will be sentenced to retribution if they commit murder. The existence of this law and similar laws is one of the reasons for the high statistics of 'honor killings,' where a father or brother kills their child merely out of suspicion of sexual relations. A child must have full government support against a bad guardian, which can include parents. There must be appropriate protective mechanisms for children, and laws should not allow any physical or psychological harm to be inflicted by parents, guardians, or community members. Psychology warns that physical and psychological violence inflicted on children has very negative results on their personality development. Domestic violence is not limited to a specific class or segment of society, and child abuse and violence against children transcend all economic, cultural, racial, and ethnic boundaries. If we simplify the issue, we can categorize violence into two types: physical and psychological. Physical violence includes various forms of corporal punishment such as burning, beating, keeping a child in extreme cold or heat, shaking a child violently, etc. Psychological violence includes neglect, ridicule of the child, threats, etc., and sexual abuse, which is a combination of physical and psychological violence against children. According to the definition from the International Conference on Psychological Abuse of Children and Youth in 1983, any behavior towards a child that is psychologically harmful according to social standards and expert opinion is considered psychological abuse. This means any behavior that adversely affects the behavioral-cognitive, emotional, and physical functioning of the child is termed psychological abuse. Consequently, any form of physical punishment is also considered a type of psychological violence. Any form of violence against children has destructive psychological effects on them that can significantly impact their lives. Today, there is a strong emphasis on the harmful effects of such violence, and better alternative methods for child-rearing are recommended by psychiatrists and specialists in this field, which are more encouraging than punitive. According to the judicial procedures of the Islamic Republic of Iran, proving sexual abuse and child abuse in Iran is difficult, and Iranian laws are not deterrent even in cases of sexual abuse of children. Furthermore, laws derived from Islamic jurisprudence recognize sexual exploitation of children by adults within the framework of marriage.