of Iran. 45 The Committee on the Rights of the Child noted “that the effect of sanctions were reflected in the difficult and social situation prevailing in the State, which had had repercussions on children’s enjoyment of their rights, in particular the socioeconomic field”, 46 a statement echoed by UNICEF.47 The economic hardship imposed on Iranian families can result in the increase of number of children being forced to work in the street to bring an alternative income to their household. As the COVID-19 pandemic further damaged the Iranian economy, the Government announced in March 2020 allocations available as loans to support businesses and prevent layoffs.48 49 Another root cause identified explaining the high number of children working in the street in the Islamic Republic of Iran is the lack of protective child labor laws and the widespread use of children as cheap labor.50 The Iranian legislation prohibits employment of children younger than 15 years old and employers are allowed to hire children above the age of 15 as juvenile laborers or young worker.51 Juvenile laborers have to undertake regular medical exams by the Ministry of Labor and are prohibited from being employed in hazardous professions or performing hard labor.52 Despite these provisions, businesses with fewer than 10 employees are exempt from certain legal obligations such as maximum hour requirements or mandatory regular medical testing for juvenile laborers.53 Additionally, Iranian law permits children to work in agriculture and some small businesses from the age of 12.54 Child laborers have been reportedly working in hazardous conditions such as in garbage collection, brick kilns, and industrial workshops, without protective clothing.55 Although the Iranian Government noted the existence of labor inspectors exercising monitoring functions, 56 private companies have been reportedly escaping governmental scrutiny, notably for out of waste disposal services informally employed by municipalities. 57 During its Universal Periodic Review in 2019, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran stated that it established special inspection branches and criminal court branches to deal with child abuse cases in the judiciary, a textmessaging platform to combat child abuse in 2017, and the implementation of a nationwide scheme by the Ministry of Education to prevent violence against children.58 However, as of now, there is no readily available information that might indicate the existence of a mechanism enabling children employed illegally or working in illegal conditions to file 45 Report of the Special Rapporteur, July 2019, https://documents-ddsny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N19/222/62/PDF/N1922262.pdf?OpenElement 46 CRC/C/IRN/CO/3-4, para. 7, https://undocs.org/en/CRC/C/IRN/CO/3-4 47 UNICEF, https://www.unicef.org/about/annualreport/files/Iran-2019-COAR.pdf 48 http://www.president.ir/fa/114421 49 https://www.asre-eghtesad.com/tolid/cat-7/70740 50 ISNA, https://www.isna.ir/news/96070301939/‫ﮐﻮدک‬-‫ﮐﺎر‬-‫ﺑﺎ‬-‫اﻗﺘﺼﺎد‬-‫روﺳﯿﺎھﯽ‬ 51 Labor Law of Iran, articles 79 and 80, available at http://www.mcls.gov.ir/fa/law/267 52 Articles 79 to 84 Labor Law of Iran, art. 79, available at http://www.mcls.gov.ir/fa/law/267 53 Law on businesses with fewer than 10 employees and their exemptions according to article 119 of Iran’s labor law passed on 19 January 2003 available at http://www.mcls.gov.ir/icm_content/media/law/634643017437412500.pdf 54 U.S. State Department Human Rights Report 2019, Iran, https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-country-reports-on-human-rightspractices/iran/ 55 CRC/C/IRN/CO/3-4, para. 87, https://undocs.org/en/CRC/C/IRN/CO/3-4 55 Center for Human Rights in Iran, https://www.iranhumanrights.org/wp-content/uploads/Days-to-remember-low.pdf 56 CRC/C/IRN/CO/3-4, para. 87, https://undocs.org/en/CRC/C/IRN/CO/3-4 57 Center for Human Rights in Iran, https://www.iranhumanrights.org/wp-content/uploads/Days-to-remember-low.pdf 58 Islamic Republic of Iran’s reply, Universal Periodic Review, 2019, https://undocs.org/en/A/HRC/43/12/Add.1 5