“the Government [of Iran] expressed the view that setting the minimum age of marriage
regardless of the cultural context would increase unregistered marriages.”22
While bills are currently under review that could potentially prohibit early marriage in Iran,
current domestic legislation still permits marriage for children under 18 years old.23 In 2016, the
Committee on the Rights of the Child stated that the legal age of marriage in Iran “gravely
violated rights under the Convention [on the Rights of the Child] and placed children, in
particular girls, at risk of forced, early and temporary marriages, with irreversible consequences
on their physical and mental health and development.”24 Iranian regulations currently limit
married children’s access to schools contributing to Iran’s dropout rate.25 Reportedly, girls who
marry early are more likely to leave school and are at heightened risk of marital rape, domestic
violence, poor access to decent work, exploitation, and a range of health problems due to early
childbearing.26
The Iranian Government established a National Body for the Convention of the Rights of the
Child (“NBCRC”), which is responsible for setting “up plans and programs to promote the child
rights and respect to their character” and to monitor and assess the implementation of child rights
in the Islamic Republic of Iran.27 The NBCRC is headed by the Minister of Justice, who appoints
most of its members and officers, and includes 3 NGO representatives among its 23 members.28
During Iran’s 2016 review before the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the NBCRC listed
its main achievements, notably the organization of “specialized meetings on the role of religious
leaders in preventing violence against children”, including early and forced marriage. 29 The
NBCRC also listed the achievements of its Working Groups, notably its Legal and Judiciary
Working Group, which did “analyses of the ways to end early marriage”, and its Support and
Coordination Working Group which did “analysis of different dimensions of supporting children
22
Report of the Secretary General, Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2020, para 37
<https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/IR/Report_of_the_SecretaryGeneral_on_the_situation_of_human_rights_in_the_Islamic_Republic_of_IranA4320.pdf >
23
Report of the Secretary General, Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2020, para 37
<https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/IR/Report_of_the_SecretaryGeneral_on_the_situation_of_human_rights_in_the_Islamic_Republic_of_IranA4320.pdf > ; Human Rights Activists News
Agency: <https://www.en-hrana.org/?s=child+marriage > ; <www.sabteahval.ir/avej/tab-1499.aspx >
24
CRC/C/IRN/CO/3-4, paras 27-28 <https://undocs.org/en/CRC/C/IRN/CO/3-4 >
25
https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CRC/Shared%20Documents/IRN/INT_CRC_NGO_IRN_19809_E.pdf, page 2 and
https://shenasname.ir/organs/vezarat/amoozesh/6208
26
https://www.isna.ir/news/94062213990/ and https://www.isna.ir/news/97090703147/ ;
https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/06/23/iran-child-protection-law-positiveinsufficient#:~:text=Under%20Iran's%20civil%20code%2C%20girls,a%20judge%20authorizes%20the%20marriage.
27
Article 2 of the NBCRC Bylaws.
28
Justice for Iran, submission to the CRC, 2015,
<https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CRC/Shared%20Documents/IRN/INT_CRC_NGO_IRN_19746_E.pdf >
29
Supplementary Response of the NBCRC regarding the Concluding Observation on the Combined third and fourth periodic
reports of the CRC for the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2016,
<https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=INT%2fCRC%2fCOB%2fIRN%2f2348
0&Lang=en >
4