‘Endless fears’: Even if fighting stops, the damage to Iran’s children will endure

‘Endless fears’: Even if fighting stops, the damage to Iran’s children will endure

The conflict has left a lasting mark on the psyche of Iranian youth. For Ali, a 15-year-old whose real name is withheld, the war now lives within him. A sudden noise—a door slamming, a plate clattering—can trigger a visceral reaction. “Before the war, I felt no stress at all,” he recalls. “Now, even the smallest sound makes my brain react violently.” This heightened state of alert, known as hyper arousal, is a precursor to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to psychologists. It stems from the relentless barrage of US and Israeli airstrikes that once echoed across the country.

The silent toll on a generation

Over 20% of Iran’s population is under 14, making up roughly 20.4 million children. Their world has contracted dramatically. Schools remain shuttered, streets are patrolled by regime militias, and the constant threat of aerial attacks—until the ceasefire—has confined families to their homes. “We just wait and hope the peace lasts,” says one parent. “There’s nothing else to do.” Yet, the trauma lingers, disrupting sleep, concentration, and emotional stability.

“Try to do the things I mentioned to you to create a calmer environment for him,” says Aysha, a counselor at a Tehran-based human rights center. “If possible, play with him and keep him engaged. And if even then things don’t improve, bring him back to the centre.”

Aysha, whose name has been altered for safety, reports that the center receives frequent calls from anxious parents. “We see sleep disturbances, nightmares, and even aggressive behavior,” she explains. “When you fight so hard to raise a child, only for that child to be killed—whether in protests or war—no parent would willingly bring a child into the world.” The war has become a relentless test for the young.

Children as frontline recruits

The Iranian government has actively pushed to involve children in the conflict. Under its security laws, enlistment of those under 15 is permitted, defying international humanitarian norms. Parents are urged to send their sons to checkpoints as part of the Basij volunteer militia, a key force in enforcing state control. “Do you want your son to become a man?” asked a regime official in a televised speech. “Let him feel like a hero on the battlefield. Mothers, fathers—send your children to the roadblocks.”

For 11-year-old Alireza Jafari, this call to arms proved fatal. He was killed by a drone strike while assisting his father at a checkpoint in Tehran on 29 March. His mother, Sadaf Monfared, told a local newspaper that the boy had expressed a desire to “become a martyr.” Such stories highlight the regime’s strategy of exposing children to danger, with devastating consequences.

Amnesty International has condemned this practice, calling it a “grave violation of international humanitarian law” that constitutes a war crime. The recruitment of minors for military service has deepened the fear that permeates daily life, ensuring that even in moments of calm, the scars of war remain.