Statement By Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran Before The 14th Sessionof Working Group on Trafficking in Persons Agenda Item (3): National Issues and Priorities Concerning Child Trafficking (8 and 9 July 2024) In the name of God, the most Compassionate, the most merciful At the outset, I would like to thank the secretariat for organizing this meeting, and the distinguished panellists for their insightful presentations. Madam and Mr. Co-Chairs,Being part of the most vulnerable groups, children fall victim to various forms of crimes, including trafficking in persons. The Islamic Republic of Iran has enacted specific legislations for the full protection of children. Specifically, the Law on Protection of Children and Adolescents (adopted in 2020) comprehensively addresses various situations that may pose a threat to children, delineates the roles and responsibilities of pertinent government entities in ensuring children's safety, specifies offenses against children and their corresponding penalties, and elucidates the standard procedures for investigating and adjudicating cases involving at-risk children, as well as the appropriate measures for their protection. In this regard, Article 2 of the said law lists the risky situations for children that require the authorities’ immediate involvement in their care. One of the conditions is their exploitation for forced begging and trafficking in general. Article 12 criminalizes trafficking in children, sentencing the criminals to 10-15 years of imprisonment. Criminals involved in the trafficking of children’s organs are also convicted of a more severe punishment, in comparison to trafficking adults in our anti-trafficking law. The same approach goes for the commitment of such acts by government and public service employees. The new bill amending our anti-trafficking law also dedicates a few paragraphs to the purpose of victim protection, especially for women and children. Madam and Mr. Co-Chairs,With the increase in criminal activity enabled by emerging technologies, such as the dissemination of online child abuse material and the exploitation of children online, there is a growing necessity to clearly define and criminalize specific exploitative behaviours, as well as establish protective measures for victims. The existing legislation pertaining to this field1 identifies using children in such criminal activities as aggravating circumstances.  To support the above legislations, there are executive measures in place, such as allocating emergency centres to child victims for providing care, counselling, and support. There are also mechanisms in place to provide access to psychosocial support for victims dealing with traumas, anxieties, low selfesteem and other potential issues. Another example of our executive measures includes the contributions of the government to the work of humanitarian NGOs active in providing support for victims of TIP, especially children, through financial and other forms of support to help their cause. We value the inclusion of this agenda item and are committed to our shared responsibility of protecting children from heinous crimes. All member states need to work together to address challenges that affect the ability of countries in effectively dismantling criminal groups operating in this field. Our success remains in the collective response to ever-increasing threats to our society.Thank you.