He also encourages the Government to consider committing to a voluntary midterm review that may contribute to its ability to advance the pledges that it may undertake at the outcome of its second UPR in March 2015.

The State party should widely disseminate the Covenant, the text of the third periodic report, the written responses it has provided in response to the list of issues drawn up by the Committee, and the present concluding observations so as to increase awareness among the judicial, legislative and administrative authorities, civil society and non-governmental organizations operating in the country, as well as the general public. The Committee also suggests that the report and the concluding observations be translated into the official language of the State party. The Committee further requests the State party, when preparing its fourth periodic report, to broadly consult with civil society and non- governmental organizations.

Ratify the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and protect women victims of trafficking, ensure accountability of the traffickers and provide compensation to the victims;

Fully implement the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/15/Add.254) and of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, contained in the report on his mission to Iran (E/CN.4/2006/41/Add.2);

The Special Rapporteur further expresses concern about reports she has received of illegitimate restrictions imposed on the right of human rights defenders to freedom of opinion and expression. The Special Rapporteur urges the Government to take the necessary measures to guarantee the existence of an environment in which all human rights defenders can carry out their legitimate work without risk to their physical and psychological integrity or any other form of restriction, harassment, intimidation or fear of persecution, in accordance with the fundamental principles endorsed in the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

The Special Rapporteur urges the Government of Iran to take immediate steps to ensure that human rights defenders are able to carry out their work in a safe and enabling environment without fear of detention, harassment and prosecution. She remains available to provide any guidance or assistance that the Government might require in this regard.

Provide special programmes for women from minority groups who suffer multiple forms of discrimination;

Ensure that women have equal rights to enter into marriage and during the marriage relationship, as well as at its dissolution;

Ensure that women enjoy full freedom and rights to become equal partners in decision-making in the home, at work and in society at large;

Support research on the linkages between discrimination and violence against women and family and societal well-being;

Listen to the voices of women.

In the light of its general comment No. 2 (2002) on the role of independent national human rights institutions, the Committee recommends that the State party take measures to expeditiously establish, in compliance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (Paris Principles), an independent mechanism for monitoring human rights, including a specific mechanism for monitoring children's rights that is able to receive, investigate and address complaints by children in a child-sensitive manner, ensure the privacy and protection of victims, and undertake monitoring, follow-up and verification activities for victims.

The Committee urges the State party to revise the Act on the Protection of Children and Adolescents with No Guardian or Abusive Guardians of 2012 in a way that prohibits any marriage or other sexual arrangements with an adopted child. It also recommends that the State party take all necessary measures to ensure the right of all children, especially children belonging to ethnic minorities, to grow up in a family environment. The Committee recommends that the State party take into account the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children, which are annexed to General Assembly resolution 64/142.

The Committee recommends that the State party take measures to provide adequate living conditions in prisons for all mothers with children and that it ensure that prison has the most limited effect possible on children's mental and physical development.

The Committee draws the State party's attention to its general comment No. 15 (2013) on the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, and recommends that the State party take all necessary measures to prevent early pregnancies by prohibiting child marriages and providing access to contraceptives and to safe abortion, and to post-abortion care services, throughout the country. It also recommends that the State party decriminalize abortions in all circumstances and ensure that the views of the pregnant girl are always heard and respected in abortion decisions. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party take measures to increase the allocation of public funds to improve the health situation of inhabitants of remote areas, focusing in particular on the health infrastructure. In doing so, the State party should seek financial and technical assistance from UNICEF and the World Health Organization, among others.

The Committee recommends that the State party, in order to further strengthen the fulfilment of children's rights, consider ratifying the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict and on a communications procedure.

The Committee recommends that the State party, in order to further strengthen the fulfilment of children's rights, consider ratifying the core human rights instruments to which it is not yet a party, namely CEDAW and its Optional Protocol, CAT and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and its Optional Protocol, the ICRMW and Members of their Families and the CPED on Enforced Disappearance.

The Committee urges the State party to fulfil its reporting obligations under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, the report for which is overdue as of 16 April 2013.

To that effect (92) the Committee urges the State party to bring its juvenile justice system fully into line with the Convention and other relevant standards), the Committee recommends that the State party make use of the technical assistance tools developed by the Inter-agency Panel on Juvenile Justice, and seek technical assistance in the area of juvenile justice from members of the Panel and relevant international bodies.

Take measures to provide access to education based on the national curriculum in the native languages of ethnic minorities, in particular in Azeri, Kurdish, Arabic and other languages.

He further repeats his call for substantive engagement and cooperation between the Government and the United Nations human rights mechanisms, including compliance with the findings of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which has identified a number of cases of arbitrary detention. He appeals for the unconditional release of all those detained for the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association, conscience and political opinion, in particular journalists, human rights defenders, adherents of recognized and unrecognized religions and the leaders of the Baha'i faith.

Review its legislation with a view to banning polygamy, which is contrary to women's and girls' dignity and infringes their human rights and freedoms, including equality and protection within the family.

Prohibit, prevent and punish the harassment, bullying, and expulsion from schools of LGBTI children.

Invest in training and providing more female teachers, especially in rural areas of the country.

Ensure adequate human, technical and financial resources to schools in rural areas.

Systematically collect disaggregated data on its refugee and asylum-seeking children in order to be able to develop programmes and policies that respond to their needs;

She urges the Government to reform the judicial system with a view to ensuring its independence. Appropriate training for the members of the judiciary is also necessary to ensure that guarantees of a fair trial and due process are effectively respected.

The Special Rapporteur encourages the Government to open greater space for the aforementioned groups of civil society actors to be able to carry out their work. He also wishes to stress the importance of freedom of expression and assembly for a democratic, open society governed by the rule of law, and encourages the Government to refrain from repressing dissent. The Special Rapporteur would also like to underscore the importance of perpetuating a culture of tolerance, and urges the Government to prevent discrimination against women, as well religious and ethnic minorities, in all spheres of public life and services, and to protect their freedoms to freely associate and express themselves.

Requests that he be allowed to visit that country in order to develop his dialogue with the authorities and either substantiate or lay to rest, allegations of human rights violations committed within its sovereign territory.

Promptly investigate complaints concerning ill-treatment and abuse of children in street situations.