Iran's Revolutionary Guards Recruit Children As Young As 12 For War

Iran's IRGC launched a recruitment campaign enlisting children as young as 12 to defend the country.

Rahim Nadali announced the campaign "Defenders of the Homeland for Iran," calling for volunteers aged 12 and above.

Algemeiner

Amnesty International analyzed 16 photos and videos showing children carrying weapons or standing next to IRGC forces.

An 11-year-old boy named Ali Reza Jafari was killed while accompanying his father to a checkpoint.

The recruitment lowered the minimum age in the Basij from 15 to 12.

Amnesty International said Iranian authorities shamelessly encourage children not older than 12 to join a military campaign.

The recruitment of children under 15 constitutes a war crime.

Amnesty International

Human Rights Watch noted that international law is clear: children cannot give their consent.

The Collective of Human Rights Activists in Iran published a comprehensive report detailing Iran's long-standing involvement in recruiting child soldiers.

The recruitment campaign assigned conscripts to operational and security activities.

The recruitment of children is not new in Iran.

During the 1980s Iran-Iraq War, the country sent tens of thousands of children to fight.

The current campaign's recruitment poster showed what appeared to be a minor next to an adult man.

The report traced systematic recruitment dating back to the Iran-Iraq War.

The phenomenon is not exclusive to Iran.

The deployment of child soldiers exposes them to grave risk of death and injury.

The 11-year-old Ali Reza Jafari's death underscores the devastating consequences.

Egyptian Gazette

Amnesty International warned of grave risk of death and injury.

Israeli attacks killed more than 20,000 children in Gaza.

In Lebanon, strikes forced more than 1 million people to leave their homes.