27 Children excluded from military in Syria’s Raqqa during 2021
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – An official at the Child Protection Office in the city of Raqqa, northern Syria, said on Thursday that the office has excluded 27 children from the ranks of the military forces during the year 2021.
The Child Protection Office was activated in October 2020. This step came after an agreement signed by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Commander-in-Chief, Mazloum Abdi, with the United Nations to prevent the recruitment of underage children and their use as combatants in armed conflicts.
Amir al-Hassan, head of the Child Protection Office in the city of Raqqa, said the number of complaints submitted to the office about the recruitment of minors has reached 40 since the office was established at the beginning of this year.
“There are reasons behind pushing those minors to join the military forces, whether at home or the street,” al-Hassan told North Press.
Al-Hassan indicated that the office continues to receive complaints from residents about child recruitment and will work to address them in the future.
It is expected that the General Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) will ratify the Child Protection Law in early 2022.
In a previous statement to North Press, Nerwoz Ali, co-chair of the AANES Child Protection, said the office functions to stop violations against the children so that they obtain their full rights.