Many important international treaties have annexed documents called protocols that elaborate on the subject matter of the main document. For the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which has been signed by more states than any other international instrument, two Optional Protocols have been drafted: one on the involvement of children in armed conflict, and the other on the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography.
The Islamic Consultative Assembly has approved the accession of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. One of the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child when reviewing Iran’s second periodic report was that Iran ratify the aforementioned protocols. At its session of 9/5/1386, the Islamic Consultative Assembly approved the accession of the Iranian government to the Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography.
The present article, by reviewing this Protocol and undertaking a comparative study of it with Iran’s enacted laws, seeks to answer the question: What consequences will follow from complying with the request of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Iranian government’s signing of that Protocol?
A study of the provisions of the said Protocol shows that the accession of the Islamic Republic of Iran to it is not only not inconsistent with moral standards, enacted regulations, and the practical procedures of the Iranian government, but also enhances the country’s international standing.