Serial poisoning of female students in Iran with chemical gas, according to published reports, began on December 9th from schools in Qom and reached 33 cities and 17 provinces in Iran, and affected more than seven thousand students, and it is said that some of these teenagers have been killed. The right to education, health, and life has been jeopardized in the past seven months and those in power in Iran have failed to put an end to it. Iranian government officials, in the style of the Taliban and Chechen separatists, ignored the health of thousands of girls and then attributed the hospitalization of students and symptoms such as coughing, respiratory problems, burning nose and throat, heart palpitations, nausea, vomiting, and numbness in limbs and headaches to “stress” and “excitement”. On April 14th, after six months of these chain injuries, the Minister of Health announced that there is “no solid evidence” of poisoning of female students and said that

If during the four decades of the establishment of the Islamic Republic, attacks and anti-women policies have mainly focused on women, this time their health and safety have been targeted by the cowardly attacks of the regime, with the brave presence and role of girls in the “Women’s Freedom Movement”. Young people and girls are fighting bravely for a future that the Islamic Republic cannot provide. Widespread and systematic chemical attacks will undoubtedly have physical and psychological effects on these young people. Fear and concern for the health of children have infiltrated the minds and souls of families in the educational environment, and these young people will undoubtedly experience its psychological effects throughout their lives.

Gandhi was right when he said that oppressors in power first ignore you, then ridicule you, then fight against you, and then you emerge victorious.

It seems that the government of Iran does not want a political solution to end the creation of a safe educational environment for female students. A government that monitors any action of students and teachers in schools through technology tools and surveillance cameras, and severely punishes thousands of students for lowering the picture frame of the leaders of the regime in class or not observing hijab. It has taken serious steps to find traces of the perpetrators and agents of these widespread crimes. Although news of the arrest of 118 people in connection with these abuses was published in the Iranian media, neither the arrested individuals have been mentioned nor have these attacks been completely stopped with chemical gas. Therefore, it can be concluded that these chain poisonings are a coordinated campaign to create an unsafe environment in schools and a new front in the Islamic Republic’s war against honorable and committed Iranian girls and teachers who, with their fighting spirit, have created a heroic part of the “Women’s Freedom Movement” against authoritarianism and for a future of their own.

The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA) was established in 2010 by organizations working in the field of human rights and humanitarianism, in response to the concern over the critical conditions, insecurity, and military attacks on educational institutions. This global coalition defines attacks on education as “any actual or threatened act of violence against students, teachers, university personnel, education officials, educational facilities, resources, or facilities (including school buses)”. These attacks result in death and injury, dropping out of school, loss of teachers, and prolonged closure of schools and universities. Such attacks decrease the quality of education and have long-term destructive consequences for society. The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack also focuses on the impact of these attacks, particularly on girls and women.

In 2015, the governments of Norway and Argentina initiated the drafting of the Safe Schools Declaration among member countries of the United Nations. This declaration is a political agreement and commitment between countries to protect educational institutions during armed conflicts or threats to their security. The opportunity to sign this declaration was presented to countries around the world at the first International Conference on Safe Schools in Oslo, Norway in May 2015.

In March 2017, the government of Argentina hosted the second International Safe Schools Conference, which focused mainly on development and protecting education in armed conflicts. In May 2019, the government of Spain hosted the third International Safe Schools Conference in Palma de Mallorca, and in October 2021, the government of Nigeria hosted the fourth International Safe Schools Conference in Abuja.

In 2020, Qatar and 62 other countries took action to draw global attention to attacks on educational centers – especially girls’ schools, which are on the rise. In a study conducted by this organization, between 2025-2019, 11,000 attacks were reported in 93 countries. These attacks have affected the well-being of 22,000 students. The efforts of Qatar and 62 other countries have resulted in UN Security Council Resolution 2601 in 2021, in which countries have committed to taking specific actions to secure educational centers.

As of today, 118 countries around the world have joined this international and intergovernmental political agreement. It may be thought that only countries facing military conflicts have signed this declaration, but that is not the case. By signing it, these 118 countries have made a political commitment to preserve the security and safety of educational centers.

Iran is not among the signatories of this declaration. In the past months, the lives of more than seven thousand young students have been endangered and the long-term effects of the physical injuries that these poisonings with chemical gas may have and may occur in the future are unknown; although there is no doubt about its psychological effects, which include fear, insecurity, and anxiety.

The International Amnesty Organization also called for a statement that special UN reporters on the human rights situation in Iran, the right to education, violence against women and girls, the right to health, and the Committee on the Rights of the Child should have access to Iran to investigate these attacks.

The violation of women’s rights and anti-women policies have been evident in the behavior of those in power in Iran for over four decades and there is no need to elaborate on it here. However, the systematic attacks with chemical gas on girls’ schools is a new chapter in the attacks on children and the violation of girls’ rights to equal and secure access to educational centers, the right to health, and violence against women and girls. These attacks undoubtedly sow the seeds of resistance and efforts for a future that these young people dream of and deserve.

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Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA)