CSDHI – A Pasdaran official admits that minors (child soldiers) are deployed in patrols and checkpoints as conflict conditions escalate
Child soldiers in Iran are now part of official security operations, as a senior Pasdaran official confirmed the use of 12-year-old children in patrols and checkpoints – an admission that raises serious concerns in the context of the ongoing conflict.
Iran confirms the use of children in security operations
Rahim Nadali, Pasdarans’ cultural deputy in Tehran, stated that 12 and 13-year-old adolescents actively participate in “intelligence patrols, operational missions, and checkpoint inspections.”
The significance of this statement lies in its clarity. It is not an indirect report or an allegation – it is a direct recognition that minors are integrated into security operational structures.
The roles described suggest that these children are not mere observers or trainees but are part of active enforcement networks in the field.
War conditions: children exposed to direct risk
This development comes as Iran remains engaged in an ongoing conflict environment, where reports of attacks on checkpoints and security positions have become increasingly visible in the media and on social networks.
In such a context, deploying children in these roles poses a critical implication: they are placed in positions that could be directly targeted.
These minors are indeed exposed to frontline risks – without the legal capacity, maturity, or clear consent necessary to make such a decision.
The result is a blurring of the line between civilian childhood and operational participation in conflict. What is typically reserved for trained adult personnel now extends to adolescents.
A broader pattern: expansion of the security footprint
The use of children in this context may also reflect a broader strategy:
- Extension of local surveillance and control networks
- Reduction of operational costs by relying on young recruits
- Deeper insertion of security presence into everyday social environments
But the long-term cost could be much higher – particularly for a generation introduced early to conflict and coercion structures.
Related case: arrest of Zahra Hojjat in Mashhad
In a separate but revealing development, Zahra Hojjat – a recognized advocate for girls with disabilities and director of the Rehabilitation Institute Hamdam in Mashhad – was arrested by Iranian security forces.
Hojjat is widely known for her years of work with vulnerable children and has earned the nickname “Mother of 400 girls” for her role in caring for and educating disabled girls.
Refusal to turn a children’s center into a military site
According to reports, her arrest followed a direct confrontation with Pasdaran forces.
Security forces reportedly sought to use the rehabilitation center she directed as a site to deploy or conceal military personnel – thus transforming a facility for vulnerable children into a military site.
Some testimonies indicate that the goal was to position forces within the compound during ongoing conflict conditions, raising concerns that the presence of children could serve as a form of protection against potential attacks.
Hojjat refused.
Her opposition triggered a security response that led to her arrest. She was then transferred to an undisclosed location, and no official information about her status or whereabouts has been released.
Converging reality
Taken together, these two developments indicate a unique evolving pattern:
- Children integrated into security operations
- Civil spaces – especially those linked to vulnerable populations – considered for military use
- Resistance to these practices suppressed through detention
In wartime conditions, these developments have heightened consequences. They redefine who is at risk – and who has the power to decide.
Conclusion
Iran’s acknowledgment of the use of children in security operational roles, combined with the arrest of a defiant official resisting the militarization of a children’s center, highlights a critical transformation.
The central question is no longer whether these practices exist – but how far they could extend and what they imply for the security of civilians, especially children, in an active conflict environment.
