Use of Children by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in a Military Exercise in Northwest Tehran

The news outlet of the Human Rights Activists in Iran has referred to images published by state news agencies regarding the use of children by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in a military exercise, deeming it a violation of Iran's international commitments. According to Harana, the 27th Division of the IRGC conducted a reenactment of the operation known as Valfajr-8 at the Chitgar recreational complex in northwest Tehran on Wednesday, October 4, in commemoration of the week honoring the eight-year Iran-Iraq war. The report states that images released in the media and social networks show that children were used in this land and water exercise, with some children holding military weapons alongside military personnel. Harana emphasized that this action contradicts Iran's international commitments to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the prohibition of using children in military affairs. According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Iran joined in 1994, a child is defined as a person under the age of 18. Article 38 of this convention emphasizes that political groups should not use individuals under 15 in warfare. Article 6 of this convention also calls on governments not to enlist children for military actions, to refrain from recruiting them for military conflicts, and to work towards restoring the physical and mental well-being of children. However, as with child labor, punishment and execution, and legal marriage of children, this part of the commitments is also overlooked by the Iranian government through military training and the use of individuals under the age of 18.