Usually, from the moment the accusation against a parent becomes clear, or even from the moment of arrest and being charged with a crime, the mourning of the child and the family of the arrested person begins. This mourning, which can take the form of prolonged grief, becomes complicated grief as the trial process drags on, the death sentence is issued in court, appeals are made and rejected or the sentence is confirmed in the appellate court, plans are made for the execution and ultimately the execution is carried out. Finally, by not handing over the body, not allowing for mourning or not holding a collective funeral, due to the social stigma surrounding the executed person, the child and their family are deprived or disenfranchised of their grief. Each of these forms of mourning has deep and psychological consequences on individuals, especially children who are more vulnerable and will be affected by long-lasting effects. These effects, in addition to the consequences of having a parent in prison, can exacerbate other issues. Some of

However, the complexity of the situation for children with a parent under a death sentence does not end with the mixture of long-term grieving effects, complicated and illegitimate with the general effects of imprisoning parents. Children with a parent under a death sentence or executed, even in most political charges, are less socially empathetic and in many cases are faced with other complex conditions such as poverty and other social harms. Lack of social empathy, along with economic and social situations, limits families’ access to limited support resources, including legal and psychological support, for children with a parent under a death sentence or executed. Some of these services are not provided to them due to their geographical location, but because of the imprisonment of the parent and the crime attributed to them that led to the death sentence, they are deprived of them and their families. Due to the lack of a comprehensive system for protecting children’s rights, some of these children are even prevented from enrolling in school. This is, of course, if

Campaign against the execution of parents, with children, for children.

Most campaigns against the execution of parents are not due to neglecting the child, but rather because they violate the child’s rights by considering their form or presence. However, neglecting the child’s right to be heard is also considered a violation of their rights.

More than ten years ago, the Quaker United Nations Office published a detailed report on children with executed parents, mentioning the issue of rescue campaigns and stating that most (if not all) of these campaigns end with the execution or rescue of the individual under the death sentence. (1) As a result, the child and their family will lose at least the minimal social support they were receiving. What harms these campaigns do to vulnerable children is the lack of a rights-based approach towards them. While it is not necessary for all rescue campaigns to focus on children, the absence of a child-centered campaign, combined with the damaging behavior of some of these campaigns, makes the situation for children even more complicated than the impact of their parent’s death sentence. Some of these campaigns use children as tools to gain sympathy and invade their privacy, violating their rights. (2) Others go a step further and place children in the position of being the “savior” of the individual under the death sentence. The damages

The effort to save the life of the parent under the sentence of execution, with a focus on children’s rights, is not only necessary, but also achievable. (3) Practical examples of such an approach are being implemented by the group “Children’s Action Initiative against the Death Penalty” from the Wells of Hope Institute. This group, run by children, strives to reflect their voices and opinions in the local community (Uganda) and at the international level. One of the promotional videos of this group has been translated and republished by the International Children’s Institute.

More than ten years after the organized debate by the United Nations Human Rights Council on “Children of Executed or Executed Parents”, sufficient attention has not been given to the rights and needs of children under the sentence of execution or execution. The result of these discussions is reflected in the published materials by the Quaker Office of the United Nations, some of which have also been translated into Persian, (5) of which have been reflected.

As important as the effort to completely abolish the death penalty is, in order to protect the rights of children, we need to address basic issues such as the right to a final visit, being informed of the status of the prisoner under death sentence, being informed of the execution date, receiving the body and permission to mourn. On the other hand, from the time of arrest, issuance and execution of the death sentence of a parent, other rights of the child such as the right to life, well-being and security, the right to health, the right to education and the right to be protected from all forms of violence are at risk of being violated.

On the other hand, whether in the pursuit of these fundamental rights or in the effort to abolish the death penalty, attention to this seemingly simple principle is necessary. In similar circumstances, such as having a family member under a death sentence or losing them due to execution, no two family members, including children and adults, or even two children from the same family, are in completely identical situations and the needs, rights, and desires of each must be considered separately. For this reason, the principle of listening to children becomes important.

Continuing side discussions about the execution of parents and efforts to reflect the voices of children with parents under the death penalty can be an effective step towards the ultimate goal of abolishing the death penalty. Human rights activists and Iranian experts can take advantage of global conferences on justice and the death penalty and, as individuals from a country with the second highest number of executions per year (after China with an unknown number of executions), strive to bring attention to the issue of parental execution alongside other related issues of the death penalty on a global scale. Submitting additional proposals for amending the draft of the 27th interpretive theory of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (6) on children’s access to justice and effective reparation can be another way to garner international support for upholding the maximum rights of children who are subjected to one of the most severe forms of violence through the issuance and implementation of their parents’ death sentences. Increasing awareness of children’s rights and their observance in campaigns against

Notes:

1 – Reduction of the punishment of execution for parents for their children.

The Quaker office at the United Nations.

July 2013.

2- The income and expenses of adults with incarcerated parents in the voice of children.

Radio Zamaneh.

August 10, 2023

3- No to execution, without violating children’s rights.

KooyPi Non-Profit Organization Media.

“11 Bahman 1402”

4- Put an end to the execution of parents.

Kooyepe Non-Profit Organization’s Media

, 19 Mehr 1403..

5- Lightening the burden of the death penalty on children’s parents.

United Nations Quaker Organization Notebook.

June 2013.

6- Draft of General Theory No. 27 on Children’s Right to Access to Justice and Effective Solution.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

February 1, 2024.