Child and Adolescent Cultural-Social Research

A study of the construction of child sexual abuse in Iranian Children and Young Adults’ Cinema

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Azam Ravadrad 1
Mahsa Badri 2

1 Professor, Department of Communications, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran,, Iran.(Corresponding author) Email: ravadrad@ut.ac.ir

2 PhD student of social communications, Department of Communications, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, , Iran. Email:mahsa.badri@ut.ac.ir

https://doi.org/10.22083/cssca.2026.573778.1102
Abstract
Introduction: This study explores the cinematic construction of child sexual abuse in Iranian children’s and adolescents’ cinema following the Islamic Revolution. The central research question seeks to understand how this genre represents child sexual abuse and what perspective it constructs regarding this phenomenon. Addressing this question facilitates an analysis of the role and significance of Iranian children’s cinema in raising awareness about child sexual abuse. This research examines the cinematic construction of child sexual abuse through the lens of Nicholas Mirzoeff’s theory of Visual Culture. Child sexual abuse is rendered visible in a particular way within children’s and adolescents’ cinema; consequently, certain aspects are highlighted, while others are omitted or rendered invisible. These omissions are as influential as the on-screen representations themselves in shaping the cinematic construction and meaning of sexual abuse. The representation of abuse within this genre inherently conveys specific interpretations—interpretations that, by altering the boundaries of what is “seen” and “unseen,” may either challenge or reinforce prevailing social perceptions. Mirzoeff’s theory provides the theoretical framework for investigating how child sexual abuse is represented, identifying the perspective offered by this genre, and explaining its role in shaping public knowledge and awareness of the issue.
Methods: This study employs a qualitative research design using qualitative content analysis. The research population consists of all films categorized as children’s and adolescents’ cinema produced during the four post-revolutionary decades (the 1980s to the 2010s), comprising a total of 247 films. From this corpus, 10 films containing explicit representations of child sexual abuse were selected for analysis: Baduk (Majid Majidi, 1991), Don (Abolfazl Jalili, 1997), Oil Children (Ebrahim Forouzesh, 1999), The Girl in the Sneakers (Rasoul Sadr-Ameli, 1999), I’m Taraneh, 15 (Rasoul Sadr-Ameli, 2002), Requiem of Snow (Jamil Rasta, 2004), Gis Borideh (Jamshid Heidari, 2006), Girls (Episode 1, Ghasem Jafari, 2009), The Little Sparrow (Episode 2, Gholamreza Ramezani, 2013), and The Other One’s Dad (Yadollah Samadi, 2015).
Findings: The analyzed films construct the meaning of child sexual abuse through specific modes of representation and interpretation. This constructed perspective is shaped both by what is shown and by what remains hidden. In some respects, this perspective is enlightening and thought-provoking, with the potential to reshape public knowledge and beliefs. In other respects, however, it reinforces dominant social stereotypes. Specifically, Iranian children’s cinema often confines sexual abuse narratives to female victims, portraying them as lacking agency, autonomy, and decision-making power while being subject to male domination. By restricting representations of abuse primarily to girls, these films overlook the vulnerabilities and risks faced by boys, thereby limiting their contribution to awareness-raising and the protection of male children. Furthermore, in their portrayal of abusive behavior, these films frequently adopt gendered interpretations and a simplified conception of “external threats,” thereby reinforcing stereotypical assumptions. For example, little attention is paid to child protection institutions or to their role in preventing abuse.
Conclusion: Overall, while Iranian children’s cinema reproduces dominant social and cultural stereotypes in its representation of sexual abuse, it simultaneously neglects realities that do not conform to these stereotypes. Nevertheless, this genre demonstrates a critical stance toward child marriage. It frames child marriage as a form of violence, challenges the assumption that the home is invariably a safer environment than the outside world, and thus contributes to transforming common perceptions of child marriage. This finding is consistent with Mirzoeff’s theory of Visual Culture, according to which visual representations can critically challenge dominant stereotypes and provide alternative perspectives that contribute to social change and the improvement of existing conditions.

Keywords

Child
Child Sexual Abuse
Children'
s and Young Adults’ Cinema
Visual Culture
Representation
Subjects
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