Experts in the field of social pathology in Iran speak of reaching the age of cardboard sleeping at twelve years old. (1) Members of the Tehran City Council refer to cardboard sleeping as a type of “lifestyle.” (2) And in the last days of autumn last year, the Deputy of Social Support of the Welfare, Services and Social Participation Organization of Tehran Municipality, in response to the news of the death of two cardboard sleepers in Tehran, describes the first as an elderly woman with respiratory problems and says of the second, “It cannot be said whether the beneficiary in that image has passed away or not.” (3)

In such circumstances and considering the critical situation of cardboard beds in Tehran, we tried to have a conversation with the members of Tehran City Council, especially Zahra Shams Ehsan, the head of the council’s social committee who had referred to cardboard bed as a “lifestyle”. However, due to the unresponsiveness of the council members, we were unable to have this conversation for our monthly magazine, Khat-e-Solh. Therefore, we approached one of the members of the social commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly to discuss the issue of cardboard beds in Tehran and Iran, and to hear the opinions of the members of Tehran City Council. We had a conversation with Hossein Hatami, the representative of East Azerbaijan Province and a member of the social commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. The opinions expressed by Hossein Hatami in this report are the result of our conversation with this representative.

Who is the policy maker and responsible person?

Hossein Hatami, a member of the Social Commission of the Parliament, who previously had responsibility in the Sepah Pasdaran and Basij tribes, sees the organization of welfare as the policy maker in the field of cardboard sleeping and says that in his opinion, the field management of this issue is with the municipalities. He sees the issue of cardboard sleeping as an urban phenomenon, belonging to major cities in Iran and one of the social problems of urban areas; however, in his belief, the responsibility of municipalities in this area is not in conflict with the responsibility of the welfare organization and other support institutions. This representative of the parliament knows that according to the resolution of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the welfare organization and the Ministry of Health are responsible for organizing cardboard sleeping and must carry it out. He also talks about the peace line, saying that the phenomenon of cardboard sleeping is a common phenomenon in major cities in Iran and believes that the Tehran model should be extended to other cities; Tehran,

Low coefficient of attention

Hossein Hatami, a member of parliament, in an interview with the monthly magazine Khat-e-Solh, talks about the issue of homelessness in Iran and explains the country’s legal perspective on it. He mentions that social issues and problems in Iran have a widespread impact, and while discussing issues such as marginalization, child labor, addiction, and divorce, he also mentions the issue of homelessness as a “lesser concern” for the parliament’s social commission. He also explains that since this issue is particularly damaging during the winter season and “hurts public opinion,” it is naturally addressed from this angle.

Even when it is said to him again that “sleeping on cardboard is of lower importance compared to other social problems”, this member of the social committee of the parliament says: “I mentioned it in terms of inclusivity and prevalence. It was mentioned in comparison to homelessness, child labor, addiction, and the like; otherwise, in seasons like winter, this vulnerable group is at risk of being harmed and it has negative effects on society and naturally should be addressed.”

Hossein Hatami, a member of the Social Commission of the Parliament, admits that all social problems fall within the scope of this commission’s attention. “From child labor to homelessness, divorce, and addiction.” According to this member of the Social Commission, the Parliament has discussed issues such as cardboard sleeping in various meetings with institutions involved in social problems, such as “the Welfare Organization, the Ministry of Interior, support institutions, and law enforcement forces,” and the Social Commission has these issues on its agenda and is not indifferent to them. Hatami also mentions the existence of a specialized committee within the commission regarding social problems, which is under the responsibility of Fatemeh Ghasempour, the representative of Tehran in the Parliament.

Is cardboard sleeping a phenomenon of addiction?

Hossein Hatami, representative and member of the Social Commission of the Parliament, believes that “homelessness is primarily a social phenomenon called addiction.” He also emphasizes that “homelessness is mainly a consequence of addiction.” Continuing the discussion, when he is told that issues such as poverty, running away from home, and similar matters are also contributing factors to homelessness, this representative of the Parliament remains adamant and stresses that in his opinion, “homelessness is mostly caused by addiction” and “there may be rare exceptions, but rest assured that the main cause is addiction.”

In this regard, sociologist and university professor Amanollah Ghorayi recently stated in an interview that economic poverty, family instability, and cultural poverty are the main reasons for girls running away and becoming homeless. He said, “Neglect, lack of parental supervision, domestic violence, and influence from friends are other factors contributing to homelessness.” Ghorayi also emphasizes that the increasing number of homeless people reflects the critical situation of Iranian society and continues to stress the role of poverty as a contributing factor. In another study titled “Addiction, Social Exclusion, and Homelessness in Tehran; A Qualitative Study” published in the journal “Iranian Social Issues (Social Sciences Letter)” in the winter of 1389, three major factors of “drug addiction, physical and mental disabilities, and inability to adapt to the environment after migration” are mentioned as “facilitating factors for individuals to enter the path of homelessness.” In fact, both qualitative studies conducted in the past decade and recent

Cardboard sleeping, lifestyle, and Tehran City Council

On September 2021, Zahra Shams Ehsan, a member of the social committee of Tehran City Council, made a controversial statement about the lifestyle of cardboard box sleeping. She explained that a woman who has experienced sleeping on the streets in a cardboard box for twenty years due to various reasons cannot suddenly be separated from this lifestyle and be pushed back into the home and family.

We shared this opinion with Hossein Hatami, a member of the social commission of the parliament. After a few moments of silence, he said that in his opinion, homelessness “naturally cannot be a lifestyle.” He also continued to say that “it must be acknowledged that homelessness is a consequence of social problems.” This representative of the parliament went on to mention that “I cannot consider this as a documented lifestyle,” and added that “it can only be considered a lifestyle when the person has chosen it as a way of life out of financial stability and capability. If they are forced into it out of necessity, it cannot be considered a lifestyle.”

Women cardboard sleepers are more vulnerable than men cardboard sleepers.

Hossein Hatami, a member of the Social Commission of Parliament, was asked what should be done for homeless women who are more vulnerable than men. His response was “organization”. According to him, “city mayors should take responsibility. If any mayor is faced with such a phenomenon in their city, they should come up with a solution for it. It’s not a difficult task. The city can be divided into blocks and zones, and if we assign this as a mission to the mayors, it won’t be very costly.” This representative of Parliament says that “city councils spend so much money on cultural and social expenses or infrastructure. They should also allocate a small percentage to these issues.” According to this representative, this task is done through collaboration between supportive institutions such as the Welfare Organization, law enforcement forces, and the Ministry of Interior, as well as non-governmental organizations that work in the field of social issues.

Division of work between government institutions and assemblies.

On March 2022, it was announced that “Khane-ye Khorshid” (Sun House), a non-governmental organization for reducing addiction among women in Iran, has been closed. In this regard, Leila Arshad and Sorour Manshizadeh, the founders of “Khane-ye Khorshid”, have stated that they have stopped the activities of this safe non-governmental house due to “pressure and coercion”. Mrs. Arshad had launched this institution in 2006 to help women affected by addiction in the “Darvaze Ghar” area of Tehran. Before “Khane-ye Khorshid”, “Imam Ali Society”, which also had functions in these areas, had been closed. Ehsan Badaghi, a journalist, also tweeted at the same time about the closure of “Khane-ye Khorshid”, saying, “Shush Women’s Harm Reduction Center is also on the

Hossein Hatami, a member of the social commission of the parliament, in response to a question about the closure of “Khane-ye Khorshid” said that there were discussions, but at the moment (during the conversation) he doesn’t have the mental presence! This member of the social commission, in response to a question about the role of NGOs and civil institutions, said that in his opinion, there is a management and support aspect with government institutions and a field aspect with people’s organizations. He believes that the “field operations should be carried out by people’s organizations, associations, and NGOs.” But the question remains unanswered as to how these NGOs can do so with these confrontations and closures.

One diagnosis: Comparing Tabriz to Tehran in dealing with the issue of cardboard homelessness.

In the end, we ask the representative if, considering their background in East Azerbaijan province, we will also face the issue of cardboard collecting in this province, especially in a city like Tabriz.

Their response was interesting and can shed light on the issues of this member of the social commission of the parliament. He spoke about peace and said, “We have the problem of homelessness in the major city of Tabriz and a few other large cities in East Azerbaijan province, but considering the social structure in the Azerbaijan region, we do not have the issue of cardboard sleeping or cardboard sleeping women as intensely and severely as in Tehran.” In his opinion, the existence of this problem is not unaffected by the “social and cultural structure of the regions”, especially with the diversity of ethnicities and immigrants from other provinces in Tehran and the lack of this diversity in a city like Tabriz, and what this representative calls the “social cohesion and cultural unity” in Tabriz.

Difficult questions and the unresponsiveness of the authorities.

In a conversation, Mr. Hatami said, “I ask difficult questions.” He is right; the questions about issues such as homelessness in Iranian cities are difficult questions for city and national officials. Contrary to what the representative said, the issue is not just about hurting public opinion; it is about human life and their fundamental rights, which are violated by poverty and various social problems; lives that are crushed by the monster of poverty and ears of officials who still do not listen. The Tehran City Council did not respond, and it seems that for them, responding only to government media is considered a response.

If only city and national officials and decision makers would answer these difficult questions. It doesn’t matter which media they speak to; what matters is the response and solution so that people’s lives are not endangered daily on the streets of big cities like Tehran, Iran; on streets where the only thing that is not respected is the human being and their dignity.

Notes:

1- Statistics show a growing trend in women cardboard sleepers/ decrease in the age of cardboard sleeping to twelve years old, Rakna, July 28th, 2021.

2- Member of Tehran City Council: Cardboard sleeping is a lifestyle, Jamshidieh, 4 Shahrivar 1400.

3- Tehran Municipality’s explanation about the death of two homeless people from cold, IRNA December 19, 2021.

4- We have twenty-four thousand cardboard beds and shelters/ “Sleeper Bus” Where does it get water from?, Student News Agency, 11 Dey 1400.

5- From cardboard sleeping to street sleeping; what is the most important factor of cardboard sleeping in big cities?, Ana News Agency, 23 Khordad 1400.

6- Another people’s organization, “Sun House”, was also closed; Radio Farda, February 28, 2022.