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🚨 War Crime: Paradise Promised in the Name of Serving God
In the recent war, numerous reports have emerged about the lowering of the recruitment age for support roles in combat operations. According to official statements by Rahim Nadali, a cultural official of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in state media, the “For Iran” plan has been launched. Under this scheme, the minimum age for participation in indirect military roles, such as patrols, checkpoints, roadblocks, and logistics, has been reduced to 12 years. He stated that many children aged 12 and 13 have volunteered, which is why the age limit was lowered. Citizens in Tehran have reported seeing armed and untrained teenagers manning temporary checkpoints, searching vehicles, or being sent to the scenes of missile strikes. This measure has been taken amid escalating conflict and a severe shortage of manpower.
The Islamic Republic has a long history of using children and teenagers in military and security operations, a practice that dates back to the Iran-Iraq War. During that conflict, thousands of children and adolescents, some even under 15, were sent to the front lines through school-based Basij mobilization, driven by ideological and religious incentives (such as promises of martyrdom and paradise). Many were used as “human shields” or deployed in high-risk operations. Some reports estimate the number of child soldier casualties in the tens of thousands.
The use of individuals under 18 in armed conflicts (especially those under 15 in direct roles) is prohibited under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its related protocols, and it can constitute a war crime. Iran has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, but with reservations that allow for ideological interpretations.
The Islamic Republic regime continues its repeated pattern of “child soldiering,” both in foreign wars (through proxy forces) and in domestic security management, including the recent conflicts. This policy is often accompanied by ideological propaganda and mobilization campaigns, drawing widespread criticism from child rights activists and international media. In the latest war, the focus has been more on “support” roles, but there are serious concerns that these boundaries could quickly disappear.
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