Where Are the Boundaries of Childhood?

In Iran, there is hardly a day without reports of abuse and violence against children, or even disciplinary and judicial actions taken against them. Recently, the Iranian Parliament approved the generalities of the "Child and Adolescent Rights Protection Bill" after months of deliberation. Who is a child and what rights do they have? This program aims to answer these questions. According to the definition of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, any human being under the age of 18 is considered a child. This definition is based on scientific methods and the agreements of UN member states. A child at this age has not reached full mental and psychological maturity and, due to incomplete physical and mental development, requires care and support, which includes appropriate legal protections before and after birth. Article 1 of the Convention states that a child is defined as a human being under the age of 18 unless a lower age of majority is recognized under the applicable law concerning the child. Although there can be criticism of the exception regarding the "applicable law concerning the age of majority," this is currently considered the most recognized definition of a child. Considering all aspects of children's rights helps in their physical, psychological, and personal development. Therefore, understanding children and their rights is an important issue. Based on this definition, every human under 18 is considered a child and has rights that must be respected by all individuals. Among these rights is having a suitable guardian. Primarily, parents and family or guardians are directly responsible for maintaining the child's physical and psychological health. Parents are obligated to meet all the child's needs, including food, clothing, education, health, culture, and psychological needs. The preservation of children's rights is subsequently the responsibility of society, the government, and civil institutions. Providing a suitable environment for the maximum material and spiritual growth of the child is the duty of the family, government, and society, and these institutions have specific responsibilities to support the child until they reach full physical and material maturity. Neglect in this area primarily harms the child and ultimately damages the community. In paragraph 1 of Article 2 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, it states: "The countries that are parties to the Convention shall respect and ensure the rights set forth in this Convention for all children within their jurisdiction without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the child's or their parent's or legal guardian's race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status." According to this paragraph, the government, as a legislative and executive body, is obligated to create a safe and healthy environment for children, free from any discrimination, by enacting protective laws aimed at the physical and psychological growth of the child. The government must first accurately and scientifically determine the age of childhood to understand children's needs and then enact protective laws to maintain the child's physical and psychological health and create a safe space for improving the child's conditions. The enforceability and careful monitoring of the implementation of these laws is the next step for the government. Iranian laws do not provide a clear definition of a child, but in some definitions, based on Islamic jurisprudence, sexual maturity is used as the criterion for defining a child, where girls are considered mature after the age of 9 and boys at 15, which signifies the end of childhood.