Custody of Children from Addicted Mothers in Iran to Be Revoked

The Deputy Minister of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare of Iran has stated that addicted mothers will lose custody of their children if they do not quit their addiction. According to a report on Wednesday, September 10, by the IRIB news agency, Ahmad Midari made this announcement during a cultural-social working group meeting in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province. He mentioned that this action is based on a resolution implemented by the government in September of this year. Midari added that under this resolution, 'addicted mothers will be treated in coordination with the judiciary, welfare organization, and medical universities, and if they do not quit their addiction, custody of their child will be revoked.' He also announced that the cost of medical services in public hospitals for 'addicted women and those with other social harms and children' will be free or very low. This government official also identified 'suicide, divorce, addiction, and school dropout' as 'major issues' in Iran and warned about the increasing divorce rate in the country. The Deputy Minister of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare stated that 'the divorce rate in the country has risen from one divorce for every eight marriages ten years ago to one divorce for every 4.5 marriages now.' The increase in addiction rates in Iran, especially among women and its impact on children, has prompted reactions from several officials. Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, had previously mentioned on July 2 that 'economic and cultural poverty' and 'addiction' are among the main factors for 'baby selling' in Iran, referring to the high number of babies sold while still in their mothers' wombs. A few days after Ms. Molaverdi's remarks, the newspaper 'Sepid' also reported on the issue of 'children born with drug addiction,' stating that research shows 'the primary source of children's addiction is the family, with only 44 percent of children becoming addicted due to maternal milk and from infancy.' Mohammad Hadi Iazari, the Deputy Minister for Social Affairs and Public Participation of the Ministry of Health, recently announced a directive sent to medical universities stating that newborns of addicted women will be handed over to the welfare organization after birth, and their mothers will be sent to addiction treatment centers. According to Parviz Afshar, the Deputy for Demand Reduction and Development of Public Participation at the Drug Control Headquarters, 'the share of women among total addicts has doubled from 2001 to 2011.' Shahindokht Molaverdi had also previously stated that women make up 10 percent of the country's addicts.