U.S. Department of State 2002 Trafficking in Persons Report - Iran

Iran (Tier 3)

Iran is a country of origin and transit for trafficked persons. Iranian women and girls have been trafficked to the Gulf States and Turkey for purposes of commercial sexual exploitation. Boys are trafficked through Iran to the United Arab Emirates where they are forced to work as camel jockeys. Internal trafficking of women and girls for purposes of sexual exploitation also occurs.

The Government of Iran does not fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. Iranian law does not specifically prohibit trafficking; however, there are other statutes that could be used to prosecute traffickers. There reportedly were three trials during the year related to trafficking. No information is available, however, regarding details of the trials or their outcomes. The Government of Iran has cooperated with Pakistani authorities on a camel jockey case by extraditing adults wanted for trafficking. The Penal Code includes provisions that mandate the stoning of women and men convicted of adultery. It is difficult for women who are victims of male traffickers to obtain legal redress since a woman's testimony in court is worth only half that of a man's, making it difficult for a woman to prove a case against a male defendant. The government has not undertaken any measures to protect victims of trafficking. Victims are often jailed, flogged, and sometimes stoned to death for adultery. Regarding prevention, the government supports keeping youth in school, but it has not supported public awareness campaigns.