The Islamic Republic of Iran signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1991 and ratified it in 1994. Upon ratification, Iran made the following reservation: "If the text of the Convention is or becomes incompatible with the domestic laws and Islamic standards at any time or in any case, the Government of the Islamic Republic shall not abide by it." Although Iran is bound by the Convention under international law, international human rights organizations and foreign governments have routinely criticized it for failing to uphold its obligations under the treaty. History The General Assembly of the League of Nations, of which Iran was a founding member, endorsed the Declaration of the Rights of the Child on 26 November 1924. In 1959 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child without a vote. Iran signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 5 September 1991. The Iranian Majlis ratified the treaty on 13 July 1994. In addition, Iran has signed and ratified the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography and has signed (but not ratified) the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. Iran has yet to sign the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure. In 2016, Iran submitted its combined Third and Fourth periodic report on the implementation of the provisions of the CRC. Implementation On 3 January 2010, Iran established the National Body for the Convention on the Rights of the Child (NBCRC) under the Ministry of Justice. The NBCRC is responsible for supervising, organizing, and coordinating all issues related to children in Iran, at a national level through ministries and NGOs, and at a local level through the establishment of local offices managed by provincial governors. The NBCRC has established four specialized working groups to fulfill its mandates: the Monitoring and Controlling Group, the Legal and Judicial Working Group, the Training and Information Working Group, and the Protection and Coordination Working Group. While its establishment was considered a positive step, the effectiveness of the NBCRC has been called into question by outside groups. In particular, its lack of independence and its limited powers to influence government policy outside of an advisory capacity has been raised. There is currently no National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) in Iran with