The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria: The Syrian Democratic Forces violated their commitment to prevent the recruitment of children and amounted to a war crime

Yekiti Media

The report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria addressed a series of violations committed by the militants of the Democratic Union Party in Syrian Kurdistan during the current year, which focused on arrests of activists and politicians, kidnapping minors, and burning party headquarters.

It is noteworthy that the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic was established by the United Nations Human Rights Council on August 22, 2011 to investigate human rights violations during the Syrian civil war and to determine the facts and circumstances that may amount to these violations and to investigate the crimes committed and identify those responsible for them with the aim of ensuring accountability for the perpetrators of these violations.

In Chapter (C), child recruitment, it states:

Paragraph 125 – It was reported that children are increasingly being recruited in areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, despite the action plan signed with the United Nations. This included two girls and three boys between the ages of 12 and 17 recruited by the Youth of the Revolution (referring to the Revolutionary Youth Organization affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party) between December 2023 and April 2024 in Qamishli, Ain al-Arab (Kobani) and Manbij. A 15-year-old girl who was recently released by the Women’s Protection Units after being kidnapped with a relative in late 2023 (referring to the minors Mirav and Simil) reported for more (click here) that she felt terrified during her recruitment and training, and after her release, her relatives reported that they did not receive adequate support for her social reintegration and rehabilitation, which illustrates the challenges faced in such cases.

The report added in paragraph 126: In most documented cases, parents who sought assistance from the Autonomous Administration or the Syrian Democratic Forces were unable to obtain information about the whereabouts of their abducted children, and some expressed fear of reprisal.

As for paragraph 127, it stated: The recruitment of children under the age of 18 by non-state armed groups is prohibited, and the recruitment of children under the age of 15 may amount to a war crime. In addition, the Syrian Democratic Forces continued to violate their commitment to prevent the recruitment of all children under the age of 18 in areas under their control.

Yekiti Media documented the recruitment of dozens of minors during the current year.

It is worth noting that the report addresses violations in Serekaniye and Afrin and the Turkish airstrikes on power stations, and will be published successively.