Over Half of Child Abuse Reports in Iran Involve Girls Aged 5–10, Says Welfare Official

Hassan Mousavi Chelak, deputy head of Iran’s Welfare Organization, revealed that the majority of child abuse cases reported in the country involve children between the ages of 5 and 10, with girls representing 55% of all reports.

Speaking to Khabar Online on Monday, May 5, Chelak said that over the past year, Iran’s social emergency centers received more than one million calls—approximately 400,000 of which required emergency intervention.

He emphasized that social harm has become increasingly visible with the spread of smartphones, and that public reaction intensifies significantly when children are affected. “Girls are more vulnerable than boys,” Chelak noted, explaining that 55% of the abuse reports involve girls, while boys make up the remaining 45%.

The human rights group HRANA previously reported at least 4,296 child abuse cases in Iran during the Iranian year 1403 (March 20, 2024 – March 19, 2025). These included 27 cases of sexual abuse, 43 cases of child homicide, 9 deaths and 17 injuries among child laborers, 14 deaths and 204 injuries caused by official negligence, 58 suicides, the arrest of 28 minors, nearly 3 million school dropouts, and around 2 million working children.

Chelak stated that most abuse reports are submitted by family members, divorced parents, or neighbors. He also noted an emerging trend: children and teenagers themselves are increasingly reporting abuse directly to social emergency hotlines.

He added that calls to emergency services about domestic violence have surged in recent years, particularly in major cities where support services and intervention centers are more readily available.

In a related statement from January 2024, former Welfare Organization deputy Mehri Sadat Mousavi confirmed that child abuse remains the most frequent cause for contacting Iran’s social emergency system.