U.S. State Department Report on Iran - 2002-06-06

In its annual report to Congress on global human trafficking, the U.S. State Department states that the Iranian government does not meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking and does not take significant action in this area. The report, prepared by Mahtab Farid, a reporter for the Persian section of Voice of America, identifies Iran as a source and transit country for human trafficking, noting that young Iranian women and girls are trafficked for sexual exploitation to Gulf countries and Turkey. Young boys are also trafficked through Iran to the United Arab Emirates, where they are forced into camel racing. Additionally, there is internal trafficking of young women and girls for sexual exploitation. The U.S. State Department's report, which is the second annual report submitted to Congress under a law passed two years ago, indicates that Iranian laws do not explicitly prohibit human trafficking, but there are other regulations that can be used to prosecute and punish traffickers. The State Department hopes that this annual report will draw global attention to the horrific act of human trafficking. In this year's report, released yesterday, it mentions three human trafficking-related trials in Iran from the previous year, but no details about these trials or their outcomes have been published. The report also notes Iran's cooperation with Pakistani authorities on a case related to camel racing, which involved the handover of wanted individuals. The State Department highlights that under Iranian penal law, stoning is mandatory for adulterers, making it very difficult for women who are victims of traffickers to receive legal compensation, as the credibility of a woman's testimony in court is worth half that of a man's. Consequently, it is challenging for women to prove their cases against men. The U.S. State Department states that the Iranian government has not taken action to protect victims of human trafficking, who are often imprisoned, whipped, and sometimes stoned for adultery. While the Iranian government supports programs to keep teenagers in schools, it has not endorsed public awareness campaigns.