Nasrin Mosaffa - Professor of International Relations, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

The devastating Iran - Iraq war was the longest war of the 20 century, that also affected Iranian children from Sep 1980 to August 1988, suffering immediate or subsequent physical, mental, sociological and economic impacts. The focus of this paper is children’s victimisation as there are thousands of them killed, injured, captured as prisoners of war, acts that all are now categorised as grave violations of children rights during armed conflicts by the UN. To highlight the extent of these violations and their con-sequences, this study investigate ‘war of cities’ with missile attacks on Iranian cities, schools and hospital.  Despite existence legal framework for protection the children in International Humanitarian Law and other documents, United Nations failed to positive action to protect them even as a moral imperative. Study will also recount stories of children affected by chemical weapons and remaining mines in western Iran, that still killing them.

children, Iran, Iraq, Iran-Iraq war