TEHRAN — Iranian authorities have deported more than 300 migrant children and their families in recent weeks as part of a national campaign targeting child labor, according to a senior official in Tehran’s welfare department.
Mohammad Nasiri, director general of the Tehran Province Welfare Organization, said the expulsions were carried out under the “Comprehensive Model for the Organization and Support of Child Laborers” and involved coordination with law enforcement, the Bureau of Foreign Nationals and Immigrants Affairs, and technical support from UNICEF.
Nasiri said that 85 percent of the children identified during the campaign were undocumented migrants. While he did not name a specific country, the term “foreign nationals” in official Iranian discourse often refers to Afghan migrants, suggesting the majority of those affected were Afghans.
“The process was carried out legally and with the proper institutional cooperation,” Nasiri said in remarks carried by state-affiliated media.
The Iranian official also said that legal action had been taken against Iranian families who forced their children to work on the streets despite not being in financial need. He emphasized that child labor is a criminal offense under Iranian law and that families should not view children as breadwinners.
“The aim of the plan is to provide targeted support for children and to shift public attitudes toward child labor,” he said.
Nasiri announced that a new support model is being developed in collaboration with UNICEF to aid vulnerable migrant families. Under the initiative, families that withdraw their children from street labor and re-enroll them in school would be eligible for conditional aid.
He also highlighted the role of the Ba’sat Child Labor Center in Tehran, describing it as a hub for removing children from street work. The center, established with cooperation from various state institutions and international organizations, has been promoted as a model for coordinated intervention on child labor.
