Children as young as 12 can now join war effort in Iran

Iran’s security forces have invited children as young as 12 to participate in war-related activity, Iranian media has reported.

A branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced an initiative called ‘For Iran’, which will recruit volunteers as young as 12 to assist in the war effort, in non-armed combat roles.

The comments were broadcast as part of state media coverage of the war effort.

Under international law, children are not allowed to be recruited or used in hostilities, helping to protect them from exploitation.

Iranian state media have said the scheme aims to drive public support and utilise the skills of Iranian citizens.

Speaking to Iranian state-affiliated news agency Defa Press, Rahim Nedaali, the Cultural and Artistic Deputy of the Tehran-based Mohammad Rasoulollah Corps, said: “Given the strong public response, we have created a framework in which all interested individuals can contribute to the defence of the country according to their expertise and abilities.”

Reports suggest that the campaign covers several areas, such as:

Support and logistics – organising vehicle convoys across Tehran and the provision of vehicles and equipment.
Operational and security – partaking in field patrols, intelligence patrols and checkpoint operations.
Healthcare: doctors and nurses to staff clinics and treat the wounded
Services and supplies – preparing and distributing food and supplies to fighters, plus helping homes damaged in attacks.

Nedaali added that those interested can register at bases for the Basij Resistance Force, a voluntary paramilitary organisation under the IRGC, or at a pop-up registration booth in the main square.

In a state broadcast, Nedaali said: “Given that the age of those coming forward has dropped and they are asking to take part, we lowered the minimum age to 12,” he said.

Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a core UN human rights agreement, “States Parties shall take all feasible measures to ensure that persons who have not attained the age of 15 years do not take a direct part in hostilities.”

Iran has drawn criticism from human rights groups such as Amnesty International in relation to children being detained and facing the death penalty.

This is not the first time Iran has invited children to participate in a war effort. During the Iran-Iraq war, thousands of Iranian children were sent to the front lines.

Many children volunteered after seeing state propaganda, as well as being influenced by religious ideology.

US and Israeli forces began coordinated military strikes on Iran on February 28 this year, saying they aimed to target Iran’s ballistic missile programme and induce regime change.

Iran launched a series of counterstrikes at Israel as well as at Arab states in the region with US forces and military bases, in response.

Read the latest on the ongoing war in the Middle East here.