Children with guns: 12-year-olds trained, armed to man Tehran checkpoints
Reports indicate that Iranian authorities are recruiting children as young as 12 to man security checkpoints and perform patrols amid ongoing conflict. Rights groups have expressed concern over the use of minors in these security-related activities.
Why it matters
The involvement of children in military and security operations raises significant international human rights and ethical concerns.
Images published by Iranian state news outlets on Saturday showed children receiving firearms training at a nighttime gathering at Tehran's Azadi Square. This comes amid reports that the Islamic Republic is recruiting minors as young as 12 to man checkpoints and perform security duties during the war.The images come months after an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps official announced that the minimum age for participation in war-support activities had been lowered to 12, allowing children aged 12 and 13 to take part in patrols, checkpoints and logistics if they volunteered.The recruitment drive, dubbed "For Iran," has been launched in Tehran to register people to join the security forces.
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