TEHRAN—Handicrafts training workshops have been held in Yasuj prison, Kohgiluyeh-Boyerahmad province, the provincial tourism chief said.

Speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of workshops for training handicrafts in Yasuj prison on Saturday, Seyyed Mojtaba Amir-Hosseini said the measure has been taken in line with empowering the prisoners and generating jobs for them to prepare new opportunities for them, introduce and sell their products, Miras Arya (CHTN) reported.

He said holding these workshops can help reduce the rate of return to prison and improve their living standard through teaching new skills and building motivation in prisoners. 

Amir-Hosseini explained that the female prisoners undergo kilim-weaving art free of charge during the year, adding that they will receive a skill certificate.

At present, a total of 13 cities and three villages in Iran have been registered by the World Council of Handicrafts as “world cities of handicrafts”. The World Crafts Council is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that was founded in 1964 to promote fellowship, foster economic development through income-generating craft-related activities, and organize exchange programs, workshops, conferences, and exhibitions.

Iran ranks first globally for the number of cities and villages registered by the World Crafts Council. For instance, Shiraz is named a “world city of [diverse] handicrafts”, Malayer is a global hub for woodcarving and carved-wood furniture, while Zanjan has gained the title of a “world city of filigree”.

KD