Iranian Criminal Policy towards Child Sexual Molestation in the Light of the Child and Adolescent Protection Law of 2020

Children have always been exposed to many physical, psychological and sexual abuses throughout history. Today, following industrial, communication and information developments, supporting this group against all forms of exploitation is necessary, especially against sexual exploitation and sexual harassment, which are often included in the black figures of delinquency in many countries, including Iran due to moral issues. In the domestic system, in order to implement protectionist policies in accordance with international standards and the existence of a gap in the former law on the protection of children and adolescents adopted in 2002, the need for differential protection of sexually abused children was felt. In 2020, in the law for the protection of children and adolescents, the legislator has paid special attention to the protection of these victims against sexual harassment. The present study analyzes data and uses library tools to examine the legislative approach of the Iranian legislature in relation to child sexual abuse in the new law due to the previous legal gaps and insufficient legislative support for sexual harassment, as well as explaining the aggravated causes of these behaviors in law.