An American report confirms the recruitment of children by Iran and the Houthis

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In a new report, the US State Department accused Iran of recruiting children as young as 12 years old in security and military activities, noting Tehran’s support for the Houthi group in Yemen, which also uses child soldiers in its ranks, at a time when human rights criticism of the recruitment of minors in Iran and Yemen is increasing.

The US State Department's report on human trafficking kept Iran in the third category, saying that "Tehran does not meet the minimum standards required to eliminate human trafficking, and is not making significant efforts to meet them."

The report, issued Thursday, also accused Iranian officials of “committing human trafficking crimes and condoning them without accountability, in addition to following a policy or pattern of practices based on the forced recruitment of children into armed groups.”

While the report accused the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the Basij forces of recruiting Iranian children, along with immigrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Syria who belong to groups most vulnerable to exploitation, noting that the Revolutionary Guard announced last March a recruitment campaign that set the age of 12 as the minimum for participation in some security activities, in a move that raised human rights criticism regarding the involvement of children in activities related to military work.

The US State Department also indicated that Iran provides material support to the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who use children as soldiers in their ranks, linking this between Iranian support for the armed group and violations related to the recruitment of minors.

Amnesty International has accused the Iranian authorities of violating children's rights by recruiting and mobilizing minors as young as 12 years old as part of a campaign led by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, considering that these practices "may amount to war crimes and serious violations of international humanitarian law."

In March of this year, Rahim Nad Ali, an official in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Tehran, announced the launch of a campaign called “Defenders of the Homeland for Iran,” through which he called on volunteers aged 12 years and above to register at Basij bases throughout the capital.

While the evidence on which the organization relied was not limited to announcing the campaign; It analyzed 16 photos and videos posted online, showing children carrying weapons, including AK assault rifles, or standing alongside members of the Revolutionary Guard and other forces at checkpoints and during patrols and military gatherings organized by the state in Tehran, Mashhad, and Kermanshah.

As for Yemen, human rights warnings continue against the exploitation of children in armed conflict, with accusations against the Houthi group of recruiting minors and throwing them on the fighting fronts. The Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights called on mothers and fathers in areas under Houthi control to protect their children and prevent them from being lured or involved in the conflict, confirming the monitoring of serious violations affecting children and in violation of the rules of international humanitarian law.

Also, video clips circulating from the fighting fronts showed Yemeni government forces capturing Houthi members, including children, which sparked human rights criticism regarding the group’s recruitment of minors and their involvement in military confrontations.