Criminalization and Penal Measures in Confronting Discrimination Against Children in Iran

Discrimination against children, as a fundamental violation of human dignity and a serious obstacle to their comprehensive growth and development, constitutes a grave breach of the fundamental principles and standards of human rights. Despite the explicit emphasis of international instruments on the necessity of non-discrimination in general and specifically against children, multiple legislative and executive challenges persist at the national level, necessitating further examination. This study aims to explore the concept of discrimination against children in light of human rights foundations, examine the international legal frameworks for the protection of children against discrimination, and analyze the criminalization and countermeasures adopted in Iran’s legal system. Using a descriptive-analytical approach and relying on library resources, the study investigates the subject comprehensively. The findings indicate that international legal instruments, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child, provide strong foundations for prohibiting discrimination against children and impose clear obligations on state parties. However, in the Iranian legal system, although general principles of equality and non-discrimination are embedded in certain laws and some specific instances of discrimination against children (such as access to education) have been addressed, the absence of a comprehensive and explicit law criminalizing all forms of discrimination against children, along with existing structural, cultural, and executive challenges, has limited the effectiveness of legal measures and revealed significant protection gaps. Ultimately, it is concluded that to fully realize children's rights and effectively combat discrimination against them in Iran, beyond

کلیدواژه ها:

Discrimination ، Children ، Human rights ، Legal frameworks ، Iran