This alternative report is submitted to assist the Committee on the Rights of the Child (“the Committee”) in its review of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (“CRC” or “the Convention”). Prepared by the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (“IHRDC”), this submission provides an independent assessment of persistent and emerging child rights concerns, based on an analysis of the State party’s official periodic report as well as IHRDC’s own documentation and observations.
The issues addressed are organized according to the thematic clusters established under the CRC. Through this structure, the report identifies significant gaps between the State party’s legal obligations and the lived realities of children in Iran.
Although Iran ratified the CRC in 1994, it maintains a sweeping reservation that subordinates its implementation to Islamic law. This reservation, coupled with systemic legislative and institutional shortcomings, continues to undermine the Convention’s core protections. Iran has not yet established an independent National Human Rights Institution (“NHRI”) in accordance with the Paris Principles and has failed to ratify the Third Optional Protocol on a Communications Procedure, thereby denying children access to international redress mechanisms.
Despite certain positive developments—such as expanded access to education, improved child health indicators, and the adoption of the 2020 Child and Adolescent Protection Act—the overall legal and institutional framework remains misaligned with the CRC.
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