The Bureau for the Protection of Children in Armed Conflict has handed over to their families two minors who wanted to join the Syrian Democratic Forces (QSD). The repatriation of the two young people, aged 15 and 16 respectively, took place on Saturday in the offices in Hesekê, northeast Syria. The lawyer Khaled al-Jabr, who is also a member of the civil council of Hesekê, expressed his satisfaction with the successful implementation of the agreement between the United Nations (UN) and the QSD.
The agreement to end the recruitment of child soldiers and prevent the exploitation of children in armed conflict was signed in June 2019. It was signed by Virginia Gamba, the UN special envoy for children in armed conflict, and the QSD general commander Mazlum Abdi in Geneva, Switzerland.
Three months ago, the QSD also introduced a code of conduct that defines binding rules for all relatives and is intended to ensure the implementation of UN resolutions 1998 and 2143 on the protection of children in armed conflicts. The development of this mechanism represented the next step in the implementation of the agreement between the United Nations and the QSD. Today’s repatriation of the two minors is not the first of its kind. Last week six more young people were from the QSD handed over to their families.
In mid-September, the Rojava Information Center (RIC) reported on the demobilization of 51 female minors who were placed in a private academy. Many of the very young women who want to join the YPJ are escaping family pressure or the threat of forced marriages. Rejecting them and sending them back to their families would not be in their interest precisely because of their age. The QSD has created a separate facility for these young women. Also in the previous month, five more underage women and 30 male minors were sent home by the QSD. 254 underage applicants were directly rejected by the QSD.
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