A Criminological Preventive Approach and the Criminal Justice Response of the Iranian Legal System to the Sexual Exploitation of Children in Cyberspace in Light of International Instruments

The sexual exploitation of children in cyberspace has emerged as one of the most serious forms of contemporary victimization, as digital technologies have expanded offenders’ access to children, increased anonymity, and complicated the identification, investigation, and prosecution of abuse. In this context, legal systems are expected not only to criminalize online sexual exploitation effectively but also to adopt preventive criminological strategies capable of reducing children’s exposure to digital harm. The present review article examines the preventive criminological approach and the criminal justice response of the Iranian legal system to the sexual exploitation of children in cyberspace in light of international instruments. The objective of this study is to assess the extent to which Iranian law and criminal policy are aligned with international child protection standards, particularly with respect to the prevention, criminalization, and prosecution of online child sexual exploitation. It also seeks to identify the principal legislative, procedural, and policy gaps that weaken the protection of children in digital environments. This study was conducted through a descriptive-analytical review method. Relevant Iranian legal sources, including the Islamic Penal Code, the Computer Crimes Law, and the Law on the Protection of Children and Adolescents, were examined alongside major international instruments such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child and related standards on cybercrime and child protection. In addition, available legal and criminological scholarship was reviewed to analyze both normative and practical dimensions of the issue. The findings indicate that although Iran has taken important legislative steps toward recognizing and penalizing cyber-enabled abuse against children, significant shortcomings remain. These include inconsistency in the legal definition of the child, insufficient criminalization of emerging forms of online exploitation such as cyber-grooming and virtual abuse material, procedural barriers in collecting and preserving cross-border digital evidence, and the absence of an integrated preventive framework based on social and situational crime prevention. The study concludes that the Iranian legal system has moved toward stronger child protection in cyberspace, but its response remains fragmented and predominantly punitive. A more coherent and effective policy requires harmonized legal definitions, updated criminal legislation, stronger international cooperation, platform-based safeguards, and comprehensive preventive programs focused on digital literacy, child safety, and institutional coordination.

کلیدواژه ها:

Child Sexual Exploitation ، Cyberspace ، Iranian Legal System ، Crime Prevention ، International Instruments