UNICEF, by warning about the employment of children in checkpoints and security activities related to war, demanded the immediate stop of recruiting persons under the legal age by the ruling authority.
Iran Human Rights Society, Monday 6 April 2026 – The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, announced that it has received reports about the employment of children in checkpoints and activities related to military forces. This international body emphasized that the use of children in activities related to war and security matters constitutes a serious violation of children’s rights and must be stopped immediately.
Why did UNICEF warn about the use of children in war?
UNICEF, in a message that it published on Saturday 4 April 2026 on its account on the social network X, announced that it has received reports that include the employment of children in checkpoints. This body asked the ruling authority to refrain from any military recruitment of children. In this message, it was emphasized that the recruitment and use of children by armed forces or groups counts as a serious violation of children’s rights. This warning has been raised in conditions where reports about the implementation of campaigns for recruiting volunteer forces have been published.
What are the reports about the recruitment of children in military activities?
Previously, Human Rights Watch in a report had condemned the employment of children below the legal age by the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to this report, a campaign for recruiting children 12 years old and even younger as volunteers for service in military forces is being implemented. These reports show that the process of recruiting persons under the legal age is carried out in activities that can put them at serious risks. UNICEF has also, by referring to documented reports of the presence of children in checkpoint posts, declared this action a serious violation of child rights.
Are children only present in support activities?
The responsible officials of this plan have announced that the goal of this action is the use of popular forces in support activities such as relief, cooking, or public services. However, the published reports and evidence show that the scope of these activities is not limited to behind the front lines. Some reports indicate that these forces are also present in checkpoints, street patrols, and even intelligence activities. Presence in such spaces, especially in conditions where these points can be targets of military attacks, puts children at direct risk and enters them into the space related to war.
What are the consequences of using children in war?
In UNICEF’s statement, it has been emphasized that the use of children by armed forces not only causes irreparable psychological and physical damages to them, but also constitutes a serious violation of the fundamental rights of the child. According to international conventions, any direct or indirect use of persons under 18 years in activities related to conflicts, war, and internal security is prohibited and illegal. UNICEF has also demanded the immediate stop of the process of recruiting and military training of children and their removal from military environments and checkpoints.
How is the call for the presence of children carried out?
Reports from inside the country have been published that show campaigns for recruiting volunteer forces have been launched and in these calls even 12-year-old individuals can register. This issue has increased the concern of human rights bodies, because the presence of children in security and military spaces, especially in critical and war conditions, puts them at serious risks. Human rights observers believe that the use of children in such conditions indicates disregard for global conventions related to children’s rights.
Violation of Human Rights in the Employment of Children in Military Activities Related to War
The employment of children in military activities, checkpoints, and security missions violates several principles of human rights laws, including:
- Violation of Child Rights – Convention on the Rights of the Child: The use of persons under 18 years in military or security activities is prohibited according to international laws, and placing children in the face of war constitutes a violation of the fundamental rights of the child.
- Violation of the Right to Life – Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Placing children in checkpoints and military environments that may be targeted by attacks puts their lives at direct risk.
- Violation of the Prohibition of Exploitation of Children – Convention on the Rights of the Child: The employment of children in military or security activities is considered a type of exploitation of the child and can cause irreparable physical and psychological damages.
- Violation of the Right to Personal Security – Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: The presence of children in military and security environments means placing them in unsafe and high-risk conditions that contradict the right to personal security.
- Violation of the Right to Education and Healthy Growth – Convention on the Rights of the Child: The entry of children into military and security activities deprives them of education, natural growth, and childlike life and endangers their future.
See also the below articles:
- Execution of Ali Fahim in a Highly Ambiguous Case; Contradictory Narratives of the Basij Base Arson
- Widespread Wave of Arrests in the Shadow of War; Intensification of Security Atmosphere in Various Cities
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