the number of children working aged 10–14, which was 4%, is about 600 thousand. In 1996, there were about 380,000 children aged 10 to 14 in Iran who had fixed work. Many children in different cities are also involved in street vendors. The parents of most of them are addicted to drugs, and these children are subject to child abuse and sexual exploitation. Trafficking of children Iran is used as a source, transit, and destination country for the sex trafficking of children. Young Iranian girls are especially vulnerable to trafficking, which has been argued partly caused by poverty and government laws that are exclusionary towards females. The workforce is very male-dominant, as only 15 percent of all females have a job. Runaway girls are considered especially vulnerable to trafficking and prostitution. In a BBC interview in 2005, Dr. Hadi Motamedi, the head of the Social Ills Prevention Unit of the Health Ministry, said that most runaway girls are subject to rape within the first 24 hours. According to Motamedi, the majority of these rape victims are then rejected upon returning to their families. Shelters set up for runaways have also become known as a source for finding prostitutes and children for selling. According to the head judiciary of the Tehran province, traffickers usually aim for girls between 13 and 17, although there have been some reports of girls as young as 8 to 10 being trafficked. There have also been reports of several cases of infant trafficking in Iran. Early marriage Currently, the minor age of marriage for girls in Iran is thirteen lunar years while it is fifteen lunar years for boys. However, for a male individual, it is still possible to petition a court to marry a child below the minimum age of marriage as the decision whether or not the child should get married is still in the hands of their guardian. According to the Civil Code of Iran, after turning thirteen, virgin girls marrying for the first time require a father’s or grandfather’s permission solely. Previously, the minimum age for marriage was 15 years for girls and 18 years for boys, and in special circumstances and with the presentation of a court certificate, girls at the age of 13 and boys at the age of 15 could get married; Therefore, the marriage under the age of 13 was completely prohibited. The law of Protection of without