A Law Enacted by the Regime to Force Prisoners into Labor
The foundation of this exploitation lies in the regime’s own legal framework. A law enacted by the regime to compel prisoners to work, along with Article 182 of the Executive By-law of the Prisons Organization, transforms prison labor from a voluntary activity into an imposed duty. Article 182 explicitly states: “Failure to appear at the workplace or leaving without authorization shall be regarded as absence and deemed equivalent to escaping from prison.” In practice, this means that refusal to work is treated as a criminal act. Such provisions stand in direct violation of ILO Conventions No. 29 and 105, which prohibit forced labor in any form, and contradict the fundamental principles of human rights and human dignity.
The Prisoners’ Cooperative Foundation – The Engine of Exploitation
Prison labor in Iran is managed by the Prisoners’ Cooperative Foundation, an entity operating under the Judiciary. Although it is nominally intended for “vocational training,” in reality it functions as a vast commercial enterprise. The Foundation oversees more than 700 production units and controls 15,000 hectares of agricultural land across the country, with portions of its products reportedly exported abroad. Its managers have publicly stated that the goal is to achieve “reasonable profit,” not prisoner rehabilitation.
Female prisoners are prioritized for employment, not as a form of support, but because they constitute a cheap and compliant workforce. Inside the Foundation’s workshops, women work in carpet weaving, tailoring, packaging, cleaning, and food processing, often for 9 to 10 hours a day, sometimes until 10 p.m.
Their monthly wages average 3 million tomans (approx. USD 50), while the minimum wage for free workers in 2025 exceeds 5.5 million tomans, excluding housing and food allowances. In addition, prison labor is not covered by social security, only by “liability insurance,” which, according to the Foundation itself, serves as an “incentive for employers.” This clearly shows that the purpose of prison labor is not rehabilitation, but cost reduction and profit for state-linked enterprises.
Women’s Accounts of Forced Labor in Qarchak Prison
One female inmate from Qarchak Prison wrote in a letter:
“We are woken up at five in the morning and sent to a factory in an industrial park by seven. We work on our feet until 4:30 p.m., although we’re supposed to return by 3. We’ve complained to the prison judge, but no one listens. Why must we work more than eight hours a day? We load boxes onto trucks and do every kind of heavy labor. It’s worse than working in a mine.”
This testimony illustrates the daily reality of women compelled to work in polluted, overcrowded, and poorly ventilated facilities. For these women, labor is not a means of correction—it is a form of punishment.
Sheiban and Vakilabad Prisons – Clear Examples of Women’s Forced Labor
In Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz, women—many of them political prisoners—are forced to work under suffocating heat often exceeding 50°C, without air conditioning or adequate water supply. They are made to clean prison halls, wash clothes, and prepare food for other inmates. Refusal to work results in threats of solitary confinement or denial of phone calls. Many women suffer from skin and respiratory illnesses, yet receive no medical treatment.
In Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, workshops for carpet weaving, tailoring, shoemaking, and sanitation rely entirely on female labor. Workdays begin at 6 a.m. and can last until 10 p.m. Despite long hours, women receive meager pay and no benefits. Those who refuse are punished through suspension of family visits or isolation. Internal reports indicate that a portion of the profits from this forced labor is deposited into personal accounts of prison officials, including the former warden—revealing how economic exploitation is intertwined with corruption.
Mothers in Prison – Double Burden and Silent Torture
For mothers behind bars, the suffering is doubled. In Qarchak and Sepidar prisons, young children live with their mothers in filthy, overcrowded wards with no sunlight and inadequate food. After hours of forced labor, mothers return to care for their children in exhaustion, often sleeping on the same concrete floors where they work. Some toddlers grow up inside the workshops, surrounded by the noise of sewing machines. Mothers are forced to choose between working under compulsion or being deprived of visitation and parole rights. This treatment constitutes psychological torture and violates Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.
Accidents and Injuries – The Human Cost of Forced Labor
Lack of safety and supervision in prison workshops has led to repeated tragedies. In October 2022, a fire in Evin Prison’s tailoring workshop killed four prisoners and injured 61 others. According to the Judiciary’s Media Center, all victims were laborers in that same workshop; the cause of death was smoke inhalation. The workshop had no ventilation or fire suppression system, and flammable fabrics were stored in confined spaces.
Official data from Iran’s Deyeh Foundation (Blood Money Fund) reveals that 27 inmate-employers were convicted in recent years for workplace accidents inside prisons, mainly due to fatal or severe injuries. This limited figure indicates that the real number of casualties is significantly higher. In 2023, at least 15 prison deaths were reported with “unspecified causes,” likely including work-related incidents.
Chronic Illnesses – The Hidden Toll of Prison Labor
Women in prison workshops—especially in carpet weaving and tailoring—spend long hours in physically harmful postures, performing repetitive motions that cause severe pain in the back, neck, and arms. Poor ventilation and exposure to chemical dyes lead to chronic respiratory and skin diseases. There are no regular medical examinations, and most health complaints go unrecorded. Many women are released with permanently damaged bodies and no access to rehabilitation or healthcare.
Legal and International Analysis
According to the International Labour Organization, any labor performed without free consent and under the threat of punishment constitutes forced labor. The situation of women prisoners in Iran meets all three defining criteria:
1. Lack of genuine consent – refusal equals “escape from prison.”
2. Economic exploitation by the state – work serves profit, not rehabilitation.
3. Absence of fair pay and social protection – denial of insurance and collective rights.
This system violates ILO Conventions No. 29 and 105, the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules), and Articles 7 and 10 of the ICCPR. Moreover, the targeting of women and mothers represents gender-based discrimination and psychological abuse prohibited under international law.
Call to Action and Global Responsibility
Forced labor of women prisoners in Iran represents a form of modern slavery hidden under legal pretexts. Women and mothers are exploited in unsafe environments, denied fair pay, and deprived of basic human rights. The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the UN Human Rights Council must launch an independent fact-finding mission to inspect women’s prisons—particularly Qarchak, Sepidar, Sheiban, and Vakilabad—and publish a transparent report on forced labor practices.
Furthermore, the Prisoners’ Cooperative Foundation under Iran’s Judiciary and its contracted private companies must be investigated and sanctioned for profiting from forced labor. The international community must compel the Iranian authorities to abolish Article 182 of the Prisons By-law and all related regulations criminalizing refusal to work.
Indifference toward the suffering of imprisoned women equates to complicity with a system that turns human beings into instruments of profit. Defending these women is not merely an act of solidarity—it is a defense of humanity itself.
