In recent years, discussions about the illegal buying and selling of infants and children have received considerable coverage in the media and online space. These discussions were sparked by the discovery of numerous Telegram and Instagram channels openly advertising and attempting to attract customers for infants and children who were supposed to be sold by brokers. Although domestic news agencies reported on the involvement of the cyber police and the dismantling of some of these networks in different parts of the country, such activities still exist in society and have become a blind knot among various social problems that Iranian society is facing today.

Selling infants, a highly profitable business!
The sale of infants and children in Iran is not a new or unheard of activity and has always existed for various reasons throughout the years. However, such actions were previously very limited and on a small scale and had not yet turned into a highly profitable business as we see today. The reasons behind why and how this inhumane act has become a common practice in society, and why perpetrators have the aud

Virtual space, arena of exchange and trade.

Currently, buying and selling infants has become a social problem and is increasing for various reasons. Until recently, just before the use of social media became widespread, advertisements for selling infants were written on papers and posted on walls and doors. Then, it moved to the virtual space and the use of hashtags such as “infant adoption” or “infant custody” (1). By entering these pages, you will be faced with images of innocent children who are valued as lifeless commodities. Among them, baby girls have a higher price than baby boys. Also, younger children are more expensive than older ones. Buyers, who are apparently young couples without children, flock to this mass market to choose their desired product and buy it at an exorbitant price. In this process, the only thing that doesn’t matter is the human dignity of these innocent children who are entering an unknown future.

Disappointed buyers from prosperity

Buyers of these children are often those who are willing to spend a large amount of money to have a child, in order to become parents sooner than the stages of welfare. Almost all families who have entered the process of adoption have opinions about the strict measures of welfare in this process. Some adoption applicants, due to the fact that long-term treatments for infertility have not been successful for them, or the cost of treatment is often more expensive and uncertain than adoption, have turned to illegal methods of childbearing and trying to make up for lost time. There are various reasons why going through the welfare system is difficult and challenging. But in general, three main reasons can be mentioned for this:
First, for every child, there are seven families on the waiting list, and it usually takes about 20 to 22 months for these families to be in line.
The second reason is the process of caring for infants and children. This process requires coordination among several different organizations, such as the Welfare Organization,

Sellers, profit-seeking brokers

In front of buyers, these are the sellers who have the other side of the job and are actually the main controllers. At first glance, it seems that only the destitute and the poor or those who do not want their child for various reasons are the main sellers. But with a little attention to the matter, we realize that the hands of child traffickers and smugglers are actively turning the situation behind the scenes. In fact, the profit they make from this sale is much greater than that of a mother and father who intend to give up their child for lack of means, hope for a better life for their child, or make a profit from the sale. These brokers include those who, with the help of their intermediaries, identify needy mothers and owners of illegitimate children and play the role of a bridge between families seeking to buy a child and sellers. In many cases, the main seller and the buyer never see each other. In some cases, the mother does not even ask

Legal loopholes

Although it has been declared that buying and selling children is illegal and has legal consequences, it seems that the laws of the country do not have sufficient enforcement guarantees and supportive roles in this matter.

According to the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran, buying and selling infants and children is considered a crime. Based on this, a law titled “Protection of Children and Adolescents” has been passed with 9 articles. However, in the text of this law, there is no direct and explicit mention of the issue of illegal buying and selling of children in order to follow up with necessary enforcement guarantees.

But the issue of exploitation of sold children has been addressed. For example, in article 3 of the law, it is stated that any buying, selling, or exploitation of children for illegal activities such as trafficking will result in 6 months to 1 year of imprisonment or a fine of 10 to 20 million rials. It is clear that such inadequate punishment will not prevent profit-seeking individuals

Children without identity and birth certificate

The illegality of this activity will most affect children who are without identity and birth certificates in the future. These brokers often promise birth certificates to families who buy children. This is while it is practically impossible to obtain a birth certificate for children without identity, and this is a clear deception that will cause serious problems for families in the future. For example, the child will be deprived of the right to education, social rights, insurance rights, political participation, etc., and this deprivation, along with the suffering of identitylessness, will harm their physical and mental well-being.

Why is there no serious determination to fight against the illegal buying and selling of children?

In Iran, there is no fundamental solution to any social problem that does not have a political or security label attached to it. This is due to the government’s focus on political issues, which has led to neglect of social issues.
On the other hand, it seems that with the spread of moral decline in society, the community’s reaction to these issues lacks sensitivity. In some cases, many people support this trend, justifying it by saying that the seller does not want their child and the buyer needs a child. The child will also have a better fate in this situation. The only thing that does not matter in this situation is the inhuman commodification, pricing, and filling the pockets of brokers, whose numbers are increasing every day.
In addition to these factors, it may be helpful to look at the issue from a slightly pessimistic perspective. Does the government secretly approve of this type of trafficking to increase its birth rate? A process that, with its illegality, practically removes the responsibility

Sources:

1 – ISNA, News Code: 99061712382
2 – Sana Legal Website, Crime of Buying and Selling Infants; Punishment and Problems of Buying and Selling Children, Hossein Zinali.