Human Rights Watch warns of child recruitment by military groups in Syria – JURIST
Human Rights Watch (HRW) raised concerns over the forcible recruitment of children into Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) youth groups, in a report released on Wednesday.
HRW interviewed multiple families whose children were taken by the youth groups to identify the nature of their involvement. The report revealed that in the vast majority of cases, the families’ teenage son or daughter “simply left home one day, and never returned.” In some instances, parents were able to locate their children by contacting local armed forces, who sometimes confirmed the presence of their children in the SDF youth groups. Later investigation revealed that members of the army often recruited children via social media or phone. Oftentimes, recruitment took place by allegedly promising youth educational, cultural or vocational opportunities that were covert attempts at recruitment and training.
Responding to the allegations, the SDF noted that it has returned children to their parents on multiple occasions when asked, and emphasized that youth conscriptions are voluntary. The SDF had previously signed an agreement with the United Nations against child recruitment, and US state department reports document punitive action taken against militants that have violated this commitment.
Recruitment of children under 15 into armed conflict is considered a war crime under section 8(b)(xxvi) of the Rome Statute, an international treaty governing war crimes prosecuted by the International Criminal Court. Recruiting children under 15 into armed forces also violates section 38 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The SDF youth group, referred to as the Revolutionary Youth Group (RYG), is ideologically aligned with Kurdistan independence movements such as the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and Democratic Union Party (PYD), which broadly follows the Kurdish nationalist, Marxist-Leninist ideology of Abdullah Öcalan. The SDF took control over large parts of Northeastern Syria after the eruption of the Syrian civil war created a power vacuum between the dominant Assadist regime, various rebel groups, SDF, and ISIS. During the conflict, the SDF have been the recipient of notable quantities of military and financial aid by the US to limit the influence of the Islamic state in the region.
