This is a picture of a flower.[/caption]

این یک تصویر از یک گل است.

This is a picture of a flower.
Mohammad Mohabbey

Although the history of street vending in Iran dates back to ancient times, the significant growth of this phenomenon in recent years, accompanied by the recent economic crisis, has drawn attention as a unique phenomenon. Throughout the year and on all levels of streets and alleys, street vendors are present, and their numbers multiply during special occasions such as the reopening of schools and the Persian New Year.

In a situation where the country’s economy does not have the ability to create jobs to meet the demand, this phenomenon of street vending has employed many young people in this country, albeit temporarily. However, some people consider these street vendors as a threat to their own comfort, while others see them as a hindrance to their own businesses.

Based on this, the diagnosis of the phenomenon of street vending and how to deal with it has become an important issue, as it now affects a part of the workforce.

Unfortunately, a large portion of the economic burden of recent sanctions has fallen on the shoulders of the most vulnerable groups in society. Tragic and heartbreaking events such as the self-immolation of a street vendor in Khorramshahr and another one of our compatriots in Tehran on the eve of the new year, serve as bitter symbols of the suffering of millions of vulnerable households who have endured heavy economic pressures in recent years and have had no outlet to address their economic woes. However, if we want to be more precise, we must mention that the most severe vulnerability of disadvantaged households is due to the economic recession caused by the lack of “income from investment” in vulnerable households, and as a result, the complete dependence of these households on “income from employment”. Therefore, any fluctuations in the job market quickly lead to severe turmoil in the living conditions of vulnerable households.

Physical reasons for the increase in street vending phenomenon.

In fact, due to unjust sanctions and mismanagement, the total number of jobs available in the country has not seen any significant growth between the years 1386 and 1392, and has remained around 21 million. This, combined with the continuous growth of the job-seeking population, has resulted in vulnerable households having fewer job opportunities and less bargaining power in terms of wages (due to an increase in the “surplus of job seekers”).

According to various studies, one of the consequences of intensified economic pressure on vulnerable households is that it causes these households to quickly remove education and health expenses from their spending basket. For example, in a recent study conducted by several economists, based on the results of the “Household Budget” survey by the Statistical Center of Iran, it has been estimated that in the provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan, Kurdistan, South Khorasan, and Bushehr, approximately 70% of households with students allocate less than 1,000 tomans per month for the education of their students.

Naturally, this issue intensifies the phenomenon of “inheritance of poverty” on one hand, and on the other hand, it creates the risk of growth in various crimes and social abnormalities, and alongside these, it causes tragedies such as the bitter and tearful self-immolation of a 32-year-old street vendor in Khorramshahr with two children. Therefore, it is very logical that in the post-sanctions era, one of our key priorities should be reforming policies related to poverty eradication in the country; from macro policies to micro policies such as laws regulating the activities of street vendors.

Is there a solution?

It seems that currently, some of the policies of the government towards hardworking street vendors have deviated towards “unrealistic” approaches. This issue has two key roots. Firstly, unfortunately in our “public opinion”, we consider street vendors as an unproductive class with a “fake job”. Secondly, in our “policy-making laws”, we have not defined a transparent mechanism for the official presence of individuals in this field. We must ask ourselves, if a person cannot have a legitimate source of livelihood other than street vending due to financial and human capital reasons (including education level and the like), is it “possible” to ban street vending for them? And assuming it is possible, is it morally right to do so?

It is believed and most of us agree that it is never realistic or possible to completely ban street vending when there is a relatively high demand and supply in the market. Let’s assume we can create a large monitoring mechanism that can prevent street vending in all parts of the country; this would mean forcing vulnerable households to turn to illegal means of income in the absence of sufficient employment opportunities.

The responsibilities of society and government towards the phenomenon of street vending.

In the field of public opinion, the logical and ethical action is for each Iranian, especially owners of media platforms, to pay attention that street vendors, meaning small-scale sellers who do not have the financial means to pay rent for a shop, have a profession that is exactly the same as shop owners. Street vendors, similar to shop owners, help with the “distribution” and “facilitation of consumption” of goods and services. Based on the principles of “microeconomics”, the process of “distribution” and “facilitation of consumption” are complementary and contribute to the growth of the process of “production” of goods and services, and both are essential components of gross domestic product.

On the other hand, street vendors, due to their high speed in changing locations and also their speed in changing the type of goods they sell, can increase the level of competition in the retail sector and help facilitate consumption. For example, many owners of clothing stores know that if they raise the selling price too high or decrease the variety of their clothes, they will quickly face potential competition from street vendors. Therefore, it is not logical to label street vending as an unproductive or fake profession in the media and public opinion.

In the realm of governance, first and foremost, we must pay attention to the fact that in a situation where our country’s economy is facing severe resource constraints for investment due to various reasons, there is no solution other than accepting the production of a large number of jobs at a near-zero “capital-intensive” level (such as street vending). In fact, when we do not have the appropriate conditions to create a minimum standard of living for vulnerable groups, it is very unfair to block their legitimate ways of earning income. With this introduction in mind, in order to formalize and regulate street vending and guide it towards promoting dynamic development and competition at the retail level, four suggestions can be made.

1) The Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare should provide the necessary grounds for the development of “official street vending” at least until the full revival of the country’s economic growth. In this regard, a practical suggestion is that applicants for an official street vending card can obtain a one-year official photo permit for street vending in a specific city by paying a fee of 50 to 100 thousand tomans within 24 hours. This permit is better known as “mobile street vending”.

2) The municipality of Tehran and other major cities should at least until the complete revival of economic growth, designate special areas for street vendors at each metro station and convert certain train cars into “no street vending” cars, while allowing street vending or “mobile peddling” on the rest of the train cars. This policy ensures that the rights of citizens who find buying from street vendors in the metro appealing are respected, as well as those who have no desire to buy from street vendors. Furthermore, with the implementation of this transparent approach, municipal officials will no longer be susceptible to accusations of accepting bribes from certain street vendors in exchange for allowing them to operate.

Third) All municipalities in all cities must recognize “street vending” or “mobile vending” as official, as long as it does not create noise pollution, in all locations except for those designated by the municipalities themselves with the installation of a designated sign. Naturally, with the installation of these signs, in addition to regulating “official street vending”, the work of municipal officials also becomes easier.

Fourth) Municipalities pay special attention to the development of designated areas for mobile vendors to sell various products and provide the necessary infrastructure to facilitate their presence in these areas.

An unpleasant experience in District 5 of Tehran Municipality.

A few weeks ago, reports from the meetings of the Social Studies Office of the Municipality of one of the districts of Tehran (District 5) were published. These meetings, which are occasionally held to discuss one of the social problems in the neighborhoods of Tehran, are attended by the district mayor, the district and social deputy, the neighborhood manager, a member of the council, and various law enforcement officials. These reports, which are prepared by the social expert who holds the title of neighborhood researcher, contain interesting stories. Here, we want to examine two types of reports that have been prepared on the same issue, “the problem of street vendors,” in two different neighborhoods but in the same district and with the same title. This is to show that if a sociologist is indifferent and careless, what fascist decisions can be made, and conversely, if they are educated and behave in a charismatic and strategic manner, how they can tip the scales in favor of their own class, namely the working

In the first report, they forgot that a street vendor is also a human being! They have placed the returned fortune teller in the row of harmful animals, who have made the face of the city ugly, caused blockage and pollution of sound and sight, and must be collected from the street by any means necessary and thrown out of the neighborhood! The social welfare expert has also joined them, saying that yes, the neighborhood’s resources can be used to reduce social harm and solve this problem, and in the end, the following results have been obtained:

First of all, we should inform people and give them brochures that street vending is bad and their products are of poor quality and they have made the neighborhood dirty and they should lose their customers, etc.

Secondly, the brothers who are hardworking members of the police force raid and arrest everyone as if the representative of the police force was present in the meeting and said that we do not have enough manpower and resources. Finally, it has been decided that they will patrol with a motor every few hours and give warnings and make arrests to see what happens.

Thirdly, every time they catch a peddler, they fine them in cash, which is unfair!

And fourthly, we should teach shop owners to arrange and display their showcases in an organized and attractive manner so that customers will be more likely to buy from them (as if the shop owners themselves do not know how to do these things!)

And fifth, and most interesting of all: public streets and sidewalks are sprayed with water by tankers at least once a week during peak hours so that street vendors can get wet and leave!

Now let’s read the next report, which has been prepared by an anonymous researcher who was a neighborhood investigator.

This researcher has stated in his problem description: “Unemployment in Iran is even more painful and compounded than unemployment in other capitalist countries in Asia, where on the basis of these relationships and for the sake of profit through the exploitation of labor, capital accumulation and the use of capital from modern technology, constantly imposes increasing unemployment on workers. In a society whose foundation is based on collective ownership and reliance on producers, with the help of this technology, everyone can live in prosperity and comfort, and there will be no news of unemployment or problems like begging. And then the session was directed towards the fact that the beggars are made up of contract and temporary workers, seasonal workers, housewives, high school and university graduates, border workers, etc., who are all human beings and not harmful creatures! And then he also suggested that the beggars be introduced to job centers, entrepreneurship centers, and empowerment centers to become skilled workers, and also that weekly markets such as Friday markets and Wednesday markets be formed so