Ali Kazemi, the director of the National Committee for the Convention on the Rights of the Child at Iran’s Ministry of Justice, stated that 85 percent of child laborers in Tehran are Afghan migrants.
In an interview with Iran’s ISNA news agency, Kazemi highlighted that approximately 3,200 child laborers work on Iran’s streets, the majority of whom are Afghan children.
Kazemi attributed the prevalence of child labor among Afghan migrants to barriers to education and severe financial hardships.
Many of these children, he noted, end up working at traffic intersections to support their families. He also mentioned that some undocumented Afghan children have been deported as part of Iran’s broader policy on migration.
The official also expressed concern about the exploitation and abuse faced by Afghan child laborers, adding that these issues compound the difficulties for migrant children.
A study by the Amu research center has linked rising unemployment and economic challenges in Afghanistan to the increase in illegal migration to Iran.
In recent months, Iran has accelerated its deportation of Afghan migrants, while reports of mistreatment by Iranian authorities have fueled allegations of inhumane practices.
