By Bunmi Yekini
UNICEF on Sunday said it was “extremely concerned” by continuing reports that children and adolescents have been killed and injured during ongoing public unrest in Iran, urging all sides to take immediate steps to protect young people.
“Our thoughts are with the families of those who have been killed and injured, and we share their grief,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, in a statement.
The U.N. children’s agency called for the protection of all children from “all forms of violence and harm,” stressing that they must be safeguarded from actions that endanger their lives, freedom, or mental and physical well-being.
Beigbeder appealed to Iranian authorities, protest participants, communities and families to take every possible measure to keep children out of harm’s way.
“Security forces must refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force, and children should not be in settings that put them in danger or deprive them of their liberty,” he said.
UNICEF also reminded Iran of its obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, emphasizing that every child’s right to life must be respected and protected.
“In accordance with the Convention, every child’s right to life must be respected and safeguarded,” Beigbeder said.