Child Protection Office of Syria’s AANES hands over minor to family
KOBANI, Syria (North Press) – The Child Protection Office of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), handed over a minor child who had joined the ranks of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) several days ago, to his parents on Thursday.
Mezgin Sheikh Nabi, the co-chair of the Child Protection Office in Kobani, northern Syria, said that a 16-year-old child was handed over to his parents in the city of Kobani in coordination with the Military Council and the SDF.
“The child’s parents submitted documents to the office confirming that he was born in 2004, so that the office would hand over the child to his parents on Thursday morning,” Sheikh Nabi added.
She stated that the number of complaints submitted to the office in the Euphrates Region has reached 39 so far, 7 of whom have been handed over to their families.
The rest of the complaints are followed up to return them to their families, according to Sheikh Nabi.
She noted that the office is open for the families to submit their complaints regarding their minor children who joined the military forces.
On December 28, the Child Protection Office in Hasakah, in cooperation with the Office of Foreign Relations and the Military Council in the city, handed over a minor child to his parents who had recently joined the military forces.
On December 16, the Child Protection Office in Kobani, in coordination with the Military Council, handed over two minor girls, who had joined the ranks of the SDF, to their parents.
The Child Protection Office in Kobani was opened two months ago after the agreement signed between the SDF and the United Nations, which stipulates that minors under the age of 18 will not be recruited.
The AANES Executive Council established the Child Protection Office late in August. This step came after an agreement signed by the SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazloum Abdi with the United Nations to prevent the recruitment of children and their use as combatants in armed conflict.