Identifying Factors Affecting the Phenomenon Of "Child Labor" In Iran

Abstract

According to the Iranian Majlis (parliament) report of 2023, about 15% of Iranian children are child laborers and 10% of them are deprived of education. The family, as the most important institution of the society, which is responsible for the maintenance and upbringing of children, is influenced by economic, social, political and cultural conditions. The change in the structure and function of society's institutions have caused damages to some families. The labor children are one of the social harms and as a result this phenomenon with complex dimensions has expanded vastly today. The work of Iranian and Afghan children in different urban and rural areas has various forms. To resolve this problem, various programs have been implemented by governmental and non-governmental organizations in Iran over the past few decades, but so far, no favorable results have been achieved. This descriptive-analytical research has been conducted with the aim of identifying the factors affecting the phenomenon of work of Iranian children and Afghan immigrant children in the city of Qom. To collect data, a questionnaire is used, which includes the personal and family characteristics of the respondents. The findings show that about two-thirds of the children are boys and the rest are girls. Children and their parents are either illiterate or have basic literacy. Most of the families of these children are either Afghan immigrants or have migrated to Qom from other Iranian cities. Addiction, economic poverty, divorce and personality disorders of parents are evident in these families. Most working children continue to live with their families despite financial and moral problems in the family, although this coexistence is imposed on them by the laws and culture of the society.