Photo: UNICEF

Progress

• Access to children deprived of liberty provided to child protection actors by the SDF;
• Dialogue between the Government and the United Nations on humanitarian and child protection issues, including on access to education and education curricula in areas outside of Government control, and the situation of foreign and Iraqi women and children in al-Hol and al-Roj camps;
• Vacating of 11 schools by the Government of Syria;
• Progress in the implementation of the June 2019 action plan signed by the SDF that resulted in the disengagement of 150 children from SDF ranks and the screening out of 908 children;
• The SDF established an age assessment committee. A child protection committee and a “child protection office” were created to resolve complaints regarding incidents of recruitment. In December 2020, the SDF and the United Nations agreed to a roadmap to accelerate the action plan implementation. The SDF issued a military order to prohibit military use of schools and vacated 18 schools;
• SNA issued a statement prohibiting recruitment under the age of 18 by its forces, including accountability measures.

Challenges

• Deprivation of liberty of children for their alleged association with parties to conflict;
• Persistent high levels of all violations against children in Syria by all parties to the conflict, particularly the continued high numbers of recruitment and use, killing and maiming of children, and attacks on schools and hospitals, and related gaps of accountability;
• Humanitarian situation of women and children in al-Hol and al-Roj camps and in places of detention in north-eastern Syria.

Recommendations

For the Government:

• To engage with the United Nations and with SRSG CAAC to strengthen the protection of children affected by armed conflict, including through the signature of a joint action plan to prevent violations for which the Government is listed.

For other parties to conflict:

• To also facilitate United Nations access to children deprived of liberty;
• To engage with the United Nations to adopt action plans to end and prevent grave violations against children (armed groups including those operating under the SNA umbrella).

For all parties:

• To abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law. These children should be treated primarily as victims, and that deprivation of liberty should be a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate time possible, and in line with international juvenile justice standards.

For all concerned countries:

• To facilitate the voluntary repatriation of women and children currently in these camps, including those with suspected family ties to ISIL, consistent with the principle of non-refoulement, with respect for family unity and the best interest of the child, and in line with the 2020 Global Framework on UN support on Syria/Iraq Third Country National Returnees.