Following the extensive activities of human rights activists and institutions, including the Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights Watch, against the recruitment of child soldiers by the PKK and its affiliates, the group’s affiliate in northern and northeastern Syria, has announced a law to pursue the situation and fate of child soldiers in its rank.
The administration says it has set up a special office to defend the rights of child soldiers in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and that complainants can report cases involving children in the group to investigate and ensure their names are protected.
The PKK’s move shows that international pressure resulted from the activities of human rights organizations defending children’s rights has forced it to react, and this is a formal confess of having child soldiers, something it has always denied. On the other hand, if the PKK’s goal is not a propaganda show, it must leave all the child soldiers in its rank.
