Amid growing signs of security chaos and the proliferation of videos documenting displays by groups armed with edged weapons (such as swords, daggers, and machetes) on public streets by pro-regime individuals, The Alahwazi Organization for Human Rights (A.O.H.R) monitors highly dangerous field dimensions that go beyond mere temporary intimidation to the level of systematic socialization into violence and its normalization in the public environment.
First: Dimensions of the Violation (Intimidation and Normalization of Violence Among Children and Youth) Human rights monitoring does not stop at the direct psychological impact of intimidating passersby, but extends to include deeper structural risks:
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Normalization of violence before children and youth: The presence of children and youth at armed demonstrations and their exposure to the open carrying of edged weapons represent a dangerous seeding of a culture of violence as an acceptable tool in the societal sphere. This distorts healthy upbringing and exposes them to an extremist environment mimicking the methods of armed groups.
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Terrorizing the street and society: Creating a permanent climate of systematic security tension through non-official groups brandishing weapons in public places, eliminating citizens’ sense of security and stability.
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Exploiting political pretexts to pass chaos: Justifying these displays with defensive or political slogans does not negate the fact that allowing militias and non-official elements to roam armed represents a collapse of the rule of law.
Second: Legal Dimensions These practices align with flagrant violations of relevant international conventions regarding the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR):
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Convention on the Rights of the Child: Key articles (such as Articles 3 and 19) stipulate the obligation of states and societies to protect children from all forms of violence, mental, and physical abuse, and to prevent exposing them to environments that fuel aggressiveness or exploit them in displays of threat and intimidation.
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International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR): Article 9 guarantees the right to personal security, while Article 20 prohibits any incitement to violence or hostility, which directly applies to armed displays aimed at intimidating society.
