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Mohammadi E. (2025). How the disadvantaged and socially vulnerable people are treated in legal documents( A content analysis). refahj. 25(96), : 4 doi:10.32598/refahj.25.96.4503.1
URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-4313-en.html
URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-4313-en.html
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Extended Abstract
Introduction
Iran has faced various social problems, and one of the government’s key responsibilities is to provide appropriate solutions to these issues. Governments typically address such problems through policy-making. Policy-making encompasses all legislative acts, including the approval of executive regulations, supervisory board directives, judicial decisions, and measures taken by other policy-making bodies (Markaz Malmiri, 2011). Laws reflect the will of policymakers and decision-makers in addressing social problems. As such, they must account for the nature of these issues, the affected populations, and the practical solutions and implementation strategies (Sinaee & Zamani, 2012). In this article, legal documents were examined to determine the followings: how individuals involved in social problems are treated; which needs of socially vulnerable groups are addressed, and what approaches are used to provide services to them.
Method
This study employed a quantitative content analysis approach to examine legal documents addressing socially vulnerable groups in Iran. The population consisted of all legal documents available on the official website of the Islamic Council Research Center (ICRC), published between 1920 and 2020.
Documents were retrieved using targeted keywords, including the followings:
Women-headed households, working children, Disability, disabled, Addiction, drug addict, drug abuse, Older adults, Criminal, prisoner, delinquency, AIDS, injured girls, and runaway girls
Initial screening yielded 480 legal documents. After applying predefined entry and exit criteria, 108 documents were selected for final analysis. A structured checklist was developed to extract the followings: Document name, Year of approval, Approval authority, Target group(s), Psychosocial needs addressed, and Types of services prescribed.
The checklist was validated through inter-rater agreement by two independent researchers to ensure reliability. Data were analyzed using SPSS software with descriptive statistics (frequencies/percentages) to identify trends in needs and services.
Findings
The results showed that prisoners (31.7%) and female-headed households (21.6%) were the most frequently addressed groups in legislation. In contrast, working children (2%) and older adults (7.4%) received the least attention among vulnerable groups. A temporal analysis revealed that all groups were given significant consideration during 2000-2010, while substance abusers emerged as the most prominently addressed group in the 2010-2020 period. Regarding the recognition of needs, the findings indicated that only 85% of laws explicitly addressed group-specific needs. Among these, legal needs (33.1%) and healthcare requirements (19.1%) were the most commonly recognized. Notably, housing, marriage, and employment needs received particular focus during the 2000-2010 timeframe. Analysis of service approaches showed that 46% of laws incorporated psychosocial or supportive interventions. Financial support (34.3%) and treatment services (23.2%) dominated the service provisions, while socially-oriented approaches remained notably underrepresented. This pattern reflects the historical development of service models in legislation, where medical and financial frameworks have been present since the 1950s. Newer approaches such as empowerment and mediation services first appeared in the 1990-2000 period, followed by the introduction of community-oriented strategies during 2000-2010.
Discussion
Following the Islamic Revolution in Iran, numerous laws have been enacted by various governmental authorities, including the Council of Ministers, Parliament, Judiciary, and extra-judicial councils. The period between 1990-2000 witnessed the highest rate of legislative activity, coinciding with the initial emergence of significant social problems in Iranian society. The prevailing political ideology during this decade - which continued to influence policy until approximately 2006 - substantially impacted both the volume and nature of legislation addressing these issues. Analysis reveals that legal needs received the most substantial attention in these laws, reflecting legislators’ predominant tendency to frame issues concerning vulnerable groups through a juridical lens. Similarly, the notable focus on health needs demonstrates the influence of medicalized perspectives in conceptualizing social problems. This legislative approach suggests policymakers primarily viewed poverty alleviation as the fundamental solution for disadvantaged groups, while largely overlooking other critical psychosocial factors that have perpetuated and exacerbated these groups’ challenges over time. The overall pattern indicates that Iranian legislators generally failed to adopt a dynamic or nuanced perspective when formulating laws pertaining to vulnerable populations. The legal framework appears to have been constrained by rigid conceptual paradigms rather than incorporating comprehensive, multidimensional approaches to social welfare and empowerment.
Ethical considerations:
Fundings
All research costs were funded by the author.
Conflict of interest
there is no conflict of interest in this article.
Ethics in social science research
All ethical codes of studies including the rights related to cited sources, honesty and accuracy in data collection and analysis have been respected.
Introduction
Iran has faced various social problems, and one of the government’s key responsibilities is to provide appropriate solutions to these issues. Governments typically address such problems through policy-making. Policy-making encompasses all legislative acts, including the approval of executive regulations, supervisory board directives, judicial decisions, and measures taken by other policy-making bodies (Markaz Malmiri, 2011). Laws reflect the will of policymakers and decision-makers in addressing social problems. As such, they must account for the nature of these issues, the affected populations, and the practical solutions and implementation strategies (Sinaee & Zamani, 2012). In this article, legal documents were examined to determine the followings: how individuals involved in social problems are treated; which needs of socially vulnerable groups are addressed, and what approaches are used to provide services to them.
Method
This study employed a quantitative content analysis approach to examine legal documents addressing socially vulnerable groups in Iran. The population consisted of all legal documents available on the official website of the Islamic Council Research Center (ICRC), published between 1920 and 2020.
Documents were retrieved using targeted keywords, including the followings:
Women-headed households, working children, Disability, disabled, Addiction, drug addict, drug abuse, Older adults, Criminal, prisoner, delinquency, AIDS, injured girls, and runaway girls
Initial screening yielded 480 legal documents. After applying predefined entry and exit criteria, 108 documents were selected for final analysis. A structured checklist was developed to extract the followings: Document name, Year of approval, Approval authority, Target group(s), Psychosocial needs addressed, and Types of services prescribed.
The checklist was validated through inter-rater agreement by two independent researchers to ensure reliability. Data were analyzed using SPSS software with descriptive statistics (frequencies/percentages) to identify trends in needs and services.
Findings
The results showed that prisoners (31.7%) and female-headed households (21.6%) were the most frequently addressed groups in legislation. In contrast, working children (2%) and older adults (7.4%) received the least attention among vulnerable groups. A temporal analysis revealed that all groups were given significant consideration during 2000-2010, while substance abusers emerged as the most prominently addressed group in the 2010-2020 period. Regarding the recognition of needs, the findings indicated that only 85% of laws explicitly addressed group-specific needs. Among these, legal needs (33.1%) and healthcare requirements (19.1%) were the most commonly recognized. Notably, housing, marriage, and employment needs received particular focus during the 2000-2010 timeframe. Analysis of service approaches showed that 46% of laws incorporated psychosocial or supportive interventions. Financial support (34.3%) and treatment services (23.2%) dominated the service provisions, while socially-oriented approaches remained notably underrepresented. This pattern reflects the historical development of service models in legislation, where medical and financial frameworks have been present since the 1950s. Newer approaches such as empowerment and mediation services first appeared in the 1990-2000 period, followed by the introduction of community-oriented strategies during 2000-2010.
Discussion
Following the Islamic Revolution in Iran, numerous laws have been enacted by various governmental authorities, including the Council of Ministers, Parliament, Judiciary, and extra-judicial councils. The period between 1990-2000 witnessed the highest rate of legislative activity, coinciding with the initial emergence of significant social problems in Iranian society. The prevailing political ideology during this decade - which continued to influence policy until approximately 2006 - substantially impacted both the volume and nature of legislation addressing these issues. Analysis reveals that legal needs received the most substantial attention in these laws, reflecting legislators’ predominant tendency to frame issues concerning vulnerable groups through a juridical lens. Similarly, the notable focus on health needs demonstrates the influence of medicalized perspectives in conceptualizing social problems. This legislative approach suggests policymakers primarily viewed poverty alleviation as the fundamental solution for disadvantaged groups, while largely overlooking other critical psychosocial factors that have perpetuated and exacerbated these groups’ challenges over time. The overall pattern indicates that Iranian legislators generally failed to adopt a dynamic or nuanced perspective when formulating laws pertaining to vulnerable populations. The legal framework appears to have been constrained by rigid conceptual paradigms rather than incorporating comprehensive, multidimensional approaches to social welfare and empowerment.
Ethical considerations:
Fundings
All research costs were funded by the author.
Conflict of interest
there is no conflict of interest in this article.
Ethics in social science research
All ethical codes of studies including the rights related to cited sources, honesty and accuracy in data collection and analysis have been respected.
منابع:
MarkazMalmiri, A. (2011). Reflection on borders of policymaking and legislation. Majlis & Rahbord, 67(18), 213-251. https://nashr.majles.ir/article_400.html?lang=en
Sinaee, V., & Zamani, S. (2012). Islamic Parliament” and Policy Making In Iran (1980- 2008) Research in Theoretical Politics, 2. https://political.ihss.ac.ir/fa/Article/11820
MarkazMalmiri, A. (2011). Reflection on borders of policymaking and legislation. Majlis & Rahbord, 67(18), 213-251. https://nashr.majles.ir/article_400.html?lang=en
Sinaee, V., & Zamani, S. (2012). Islamic Parliament” and Policy Making In Iran (1980- 2008) Research in Theoretical Politics, 2. https://political.ihss.ac.ir/fa/Article/11820
Type of Study: orginal |
Received: 2024/02/15 | Accepted: 2025/01/21 | Published: 2025/04/4
Received: 2024/02/15 | Accepted: 2025/01/21 | Published: 2025/04/4
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