sensitive to such issues and create many barriers around any application of such programs.
These include the events surrounding the government's efforts to implement the 2030 Sustainable
Development Goals (“SDGs”) document. The Ministry of Education had planned to implement a
national plan on sexual education which drew upon the SDGs, but in the face of religious
resistance,4 these measures were stopped.5 The efforts, which were opposed by religious
institutions, were banned by order of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.6 Among the topics
that were objected to by religious institutions was the emphasis on the need to provide sexual
education to children and adolescents, which opponents of the plan referred to as "promoting
corruption and teaching sex to children."7
In recent years, Government officials, including Ministry of Education officials, have discussed
the question of provision of sexual and reproductive health education in secondary education
institutions.8 Yet in practice and based on publicly available information, the Government’s
approach to sexual and reproductive health education for adolescents has not changed at all. 9
Such an atmosphere, in practice, makes it difficult to advance any comprehensive program in this
field in Iran. For example, an official at the Ministry of Education points to the difficulties of
implementing such programs and suggests that such programs be presented as a "hidden
curriculum."10
Sexual education is currently offered at the tertiary educational level,11 and there are courses
available on the subject matter for couples approaching marriage. While the Government allegedly
provides some education on sexual and reproductive health to adolescents, this practice does not
constitute a comprehensive national policy, with the Government claiming that there are
educational and moral limitations on providing such education.12
B. Ensure that sexual and reproductive health education is part of the mandatory school
curriculum and is targeted at adolescent girls and boys, with special attention to
preventing early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections
The Committee on the Rights of the Child stipulates that State parties should provide adolescents
with access to sexual and reproductive information, including information on family planning and
4
https://www.mehrnews.com/news/4438936/
https://www.mashreghnews.ir/news/978633/
6
https://www.bbc.com/persian/iran-features-39835884
7
https://tn.ai/1423953
8
https://www.irna.ir/news/83413340/; http://www.baharnews.ir/news/151327/ ; https://www.ilna.news/fa/tiny/news-924283
9
https://www.ilna.news/fa/tiny/news-924283
10
Ibid.
11
A list of topics covered in such courses. Pre-marital, in-marriage and post-marital education is included in this list. The target
groups of these trainings are people over 10 years old. See http://health.kaums.ac.ir/Default.aspx?PageID=209
12
https://www.ilna.news/fa/tiny/news-924283
5
2