Human Rights Watch Report: Military recruitment of children persists in Northeast Syria

This report was produce by Human Rights Watch and published on their website. You can check the full report here. 

A recent report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) has revealed that the Revolutionary Youth Movement of Syria (Tevgera Ciwanên Şoreşger), a Kurdish youth group in northeast Syria, is still recruiting children as young as 12. This is happening despite promises from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration to stop the recruitment of children. The report details how the group has been taking children from their schools and homes, cutting off contact with their families, and subjecting them to military training. It highlights that many of these children, especially girls, are later sent to armed groups linked to the SDF, violating both national and international laws prohibiting the use of child soldiers.

Recruiting children under 15 for armed conflict is a clear violation of international law and constitutes a war crime. The UN has documented ongoing child recruitment by all sides in the Syrian conflict, including the SDF, with 231 reported cases in 2023. HRW’s report includes recent cases from 2023 and 2024, where children, including displaced minors, were taken by the Revolutionary Youth Movement. Families have lost contact with their children, some of whom were later seen in military uniforms, suggesting they were sent to armed groups.

HRW is urging the SDF and the US, which provides military support to the SDF, to take immediate action to stop the recruitment of children and calls on the SDF to end recruitment by all groups under its control and to investigate the activities of the Revolutionary Youth Movement. It also demands that the recruited children be returned to their families and receive any necessary medical and psychological help. Additionally, HRW recommends that the US use its influence to make sure these actions are carried out and to consider imposing sanctions on groups involved in child recruitment, including the Revolutionary Youth Movement.