Street Children and 'Special Women' in Hamadan Province - 2002-07-24

According to a report by Kayhan newspaper dated July 24, 2002, Dr. Mohammad Ali Amirzargar, head of the Welfare Organization in Hamadan Province, stated: "Our proposed budget, considering the existing needs and problems and providing various services to the people, was 6 billion tomans for this year, which was reduced to 4.2 billion tomans by the Management and Planning Organization with only a 14% increase compared to last year..." Dr. Amirzargar also commented on the social situation in Hamadan, saying: "To combat social harms, a crisis intervention office has been established for individuals with family problems and those running away from home, as well as a divorce office for guidance and counseling for applicants, aiming to restore them to married life in the province. Regarding street children, it is planned that 20,000 of these children will be covered by the Welfare Organization's organization plan this year, which will also be implemented in Hamadan Province... Last year, 1,180 street children were referred to the Welfare Organization's care center in the province and were covered by it." Kayhan writes: "Dr. Amirzargar identified the issue of special women (street women) or those at risk and affected as one of the major social problems, stemming from economic issues and the consequences of addiction, stating: Unfortunately, in recent years, with the increase in street women, the prevalence of certain diseases in the country has also risen significantly, and thus centers have been established to collect these women, which is also active in Hamadan Province." The issue of homeless children and adolescents living on the streets is considered one of the fundamental problems of the Islamic Republic system, and the method that officials have adopted to supposedly combat it effectively contributes to the expansion of prostitution, homelessness, and addiction, as those appointed by the Islamic government to address these issues are more focused on financial gain and economic exploitation than on the welfare of runaway children and adolescents. For example, last year, one of these government centers established to care for homeless and street girls under the supervision of Hojjatoleslam Montazeri Moghadam, a Sharia judge and head of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Karaj, turned into a sexual service under his supervision. When news of Hojjatoleslam Montazeri Moghadam's organization reached the Tehran press, he was arrested on charges of pimping but was soon released. It is unclear whether the centers mentioned by Dr. Amirzargar and Kayhan are of the same type that collect street girls and women and concentrate them for the economic benefit of the center's officials or if these new centers are of a different kind that will genuinely address runaway adolescents.