Response of Iran's Welfare Organization to 'Sexual Abuse Report of Disabled Girls'

Iran's Welfare Organization has reacted to reports regarding the sexual abuse of a group of girls in centers for mentally disabled individuals, emphasizing that it is seriously pursuing the issue of the assault and will take legal action against offenders if proven. The Mehr News Agency reported on Saturday, September 2, that sexual exploitation is occurring in some centers for mentally disabled girls. This news agency quoted staff from one of these centers revealing that 'a maintenance worker at this center has sexually abused a girl multiple times.' This social worker, whose identity has not been disclosed, stated that the center's director did not take any action to defend this girl after being informed of the matter and intends to transfer her to another center. The Mehr News Agency identified this girl with the initials 'Th' and reported that two other mentally disabled girls at this center had previously fallen victim to the lust of a delinquent employee. According to the report, these two girls were also transferred to other centers by the director, but the 'maintenance worker' who committed such an offense was called back to work by the mentioned director despite being dismissed by the Welfare Organization. The report also mentioned that this delinquent employee is himself a father of a 'mentally disabled child.' The Mehr News Agency further reported that the center's director is 'refusing' to refer this girl to forensic medicine for legal proceedings and punishment of the offending employee. The news agency added that 'the director of this center has recently been promoted and wants to resolve the issue discreetly to avoid disrepute for his center.' The report states that the director 'requested the center's psychologist to issue a certificate stating that this girl, due to her mental disability, has delusions and her statements are not real.' In the continuation of its report, Mehr News Agency has reported sexual abuse of girls in other centers for mentally disabled individuals. The news agency prepared a report from another center where one of the officials, along with two other staff members, sexually abused the girls. One of the girls from this center stated that they 'do not give us the items that benefactors bring for us. Then, to get them, they impose conditions on us.' This girl added that 'mentally and physically disabled girls, like any other person, have needs. It is natural that many proposals are quickly accepted.' Nabiollah Eshqi Sani, the former director of the Welfare Organization's orphan children department, also commented on the occurrence of these events in the mentioned centers, stating, 'Studies show that abuses often occur by individuals such as guards, gardeners, staff, cleaners, and maintenance personnel.' Mr. Eshqi Sani added that 'certainly, in the first stage, employee selection controls must occur continuously, and supervision of employee performance should be annual and even biannual; this monitoring is not something that can be done once and forgotten.' Sexual abuse and harassment of girls in centers for mentally disabled individuals in Iran is not a new issue, and reports of this kind are periodically published by the media in this country. There are no accurate statistics on the occurrence of such crimes in the mentioned centers, and typically, officials of these centers and even the Welfare Organization are reluctant to provide reports and explanations about these types of crimes and violations. Children, especially girls in Iran, like many other countries, are always at risk of sexual abuse and harassment, with those suffering from mental disabilities being more exposed to these threats. Mansoureh Karimzadeh, head of the educational group in the preschool child development department at the University of Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, also commented on this issue, stating that 'mentally disabled children are more vulnerable than normal children.' Ms. Karimzadeh identified the 'lack' of sexual knowledge and education and 'emotional dependency on adults' as two significant factors in the vulnerability of these children. She added that 'mentally disabled children do not realize sexual abuses for various reasons. These reasons include fear, threats, concern about losing their supporter, and unfamiliarity with sexual abuse or physical contact.' Ms. Karimzadeh further stated that 'we must provide necessary education to parents and these children so that these adolescents do not have such bitter experiences.' Results from foreign research indicate that the prevalence of sexual abuse among mentally disabled individuals varies between 25% to 83%, and it is now widely accepted that mentally disabled individuals are at a higher risk of sexual abuse. According to the findings of this research, 80% of victims with disabilities are abused more than once, while only 20% of sexual assaults against disabled individuals are reported. In this regard, the Deputy Minister of Health stated: there are no statistics on the sexual abuse of girls. Sexual abuse constitutes 2% of child abuse reports in Iran. An official from the Tehran governorate announced the preparation of a 'child sexual abuse prevention plan.'