User:Maxxb12/sandbox/Childhood during the Iranian Civil War

There are many differences between the Treatment of Children during the Iran–Iraq War and the modern day treatment of children. There was a large divide between how girls and boys were treated.

Paradise Keys
During the revolution, there were many varying thoughts about the way children were conscripted to the army. More controversy existed around the techniques used to persuade the Iranian children that what they were doing was the right way forward.

A method often used to persuade people was a Paradise Key

A paradise key was a small plastic key painted in gold said to unlock the doors to paradise.

Many people believed paradise keys to be an inhumane tool to persuade children to become martyrs. "'First they convince them that the afterlife is even better than Disneyland, then they put them in a trance with all their songs...They hypnotize them and just toss them into battle. Absolute carnage.'"

Family based issues
Some families chose to not adhere to the rules set out by the new regime, and this influenced the way children were treated when growing up.

Wealthy
Children from wealthier families often did not end up going to war as they had a better opportunity at life if they did not. These families were often closely related to members of the regime. "The Key to paradise was for poor people. Thousands of young kids, promised a better life."

Poor Families
Children in poor families did not really have the choice weather or not to go to war. They were usually set up for a hard life, and could not afford the risk of defying the regime.

Gender
With the new regime, the split between genders in Iran got even larger.

With boys being conscripted into the army, girls were required to start taking the roles boys had. But, they were also able to still live their lives."