Iran is a founding member of ILO, the International Labor Organization. Tehran has ratified 13 ILO conventions, committing itself to fighting against gender discrimination and elimination of forced labor and child labor. Despite this commitment, the Islamic Republic of Iran violates these accords: gender equality remains a dream in the workplace, and the rate of child labor is dramatically high. Only recently. as we wrote a separate article, Tehran municipality has decided to fire most of its women employees and to promote a gender segregation in their working places. Despite the protests, not only Iran Mayor – former IRGC Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf – announced that he will continue to preserve separation. He was also supporter by Iran Minister of Justice, Mostafa Pourmohammadi. The shameful aspect of this absurd decision is that Iranian politicians are promoting this segregation under the title “Improving the Status of Women”.
The Islamic Republic has ratified the ILO Conventions on child labor and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Despite this, the child labor situation in Iran is dramatic. An estimated 14% of Iranian children are forced to work, without any kind of protection or insurance. These children, very often, work in automobile or rug factors or, unfortunately, in the sex industry. For them, there is no health care or education system. Iranian American Forum, in a report published in December 2013, denounced that around 200.000 children are living on the street. In addition, 22% of Iranian children under the age of 18 are not attending school. We can clearly describe them as “forgotten children.
This situation could not be tolerated: an international organization like ILO, committed to fighting any kind of gender discrimination and child labor, should not tolerate a situation according to which one of its founding member promotes such policies. The gender segregation in Iran is officially promoted and realized with the support of State representatives. Because of all these reasons:
WE OFFICIALLY REQUEST THAT ILO GOVERNING BODY EXPEL IMMEDIATLY THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN FROM THE INTERNATIONAL LABOR ORGANIZATION. TEHERAN COULD BE READMITTED TO ILO, ONLY AFTER IT WILL HAVE DEMONSTRATED A REAL AND SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN ITS DISCRIMINATORY POLICY.
HOW TO SHARE AND SUPPORT THE CAMPAIGN:
Twitter Hashtagh: #IranOutofILO
ILO contacts: Emails: ilo@ilo.org, newsroom@ilo.org, communication@ilo.org
Write to ILO Director Guy Ryder: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryder.ilo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/guyryder
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