\n
<\/p>\n
Committee members urged authorities to stop all violence against children, which is a clear violation of their rights, including the right to protest peacefully.<\/p>\n
The nationwide protest movement began a month ago, following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who died after being arrested by Iran\u2019s so-called morality police, for violating strict dress codes relating to her hijab.<\/p>\n
Many of the videos which have gone viral from Iran, despite a crackdown on the domestic internet, show young women risking their lives in the street or in classrooms, defying authorities with protest chants criticizing clerical leaders.<\/p>\n
Among the dead are a boy aged 11, and according to reliable witnesses, some children were shot with live ammunition, while others died after being beaten.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany families reported that, despite grieving for the loss of a child, they were pressured to absolve security forces<\/strong> by declaring that their children had committed suicide and making false confessions\u201d, said the statement.<\/p>\n The Committee is also deeply concerned at reports that children have been arrested in schools and detained together with adults, and that some have been tortured.<\/p>\n The Ministry of Education announced last week that children arrested were being transferred to psychological centres \u201cfor correction and education to prevent them from becoming anti-social characters\u201d, and there have been multiple reports of retaliatory expulsions of many high school students, the Committee said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe strongly urge Iran to comply with its international human rights obligations<\/strong>, particularly those under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This begins with the fundamental obligation to protect children\u2019s right to life under any circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n Committee members also stressed that Iran was obliged to respect and protect children\u2019s rights to freedom of expression and peaceful protest.<\/p>\nForced re-education<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Right to be heard<\/strong><\/h2>\n