On Thursday, June 12, 2025, 12-year-old Muhammad Shawqi Youssef, from the village of Aranda, in the city of Afrin, northwest of Aleppo Governorate, was kidnapped by members of the Revolutionary Youth “Jwanen Shorshkar,” affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces, in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood of Aleppo, for forced recruitment.
According to what the Syrian Network for Human Rights documented from reliable local sources, members of the Revolutionary Youth kidnapped the child, Mohammed, as he was heading to work at a sewing workshop on 15th Street in the western sector of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood. They then took him to one of their recruitment centers. Information also confirmed that the child lives in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights notes that his family was not informed of the recruitment process, and the child was prevented from communicating with his relatives or allowing them to visit him. The network fears that the child will be involved in military operations, whether directly or indirectly. The network also confirms that approximately 413 children are still being held in forced recruitment camps run by the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Legal Conclusions
- The abduction and forced recruitment of the child Mohammed Youssef constitutes a flagrant violation of Article 38 of the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, which obliges controlling powers to take all feasible measures to ensure that children under the age of 12 do not take part in hostilities. Since the child was under 18 at the time of the incident, this constitutes a clear violation of the Convention.
- The recruitment of children under the age of 18 into armed conflict is a war crime under Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Abduction for the purpose of forced recruitment also amounts to inhuman treatment under the Geneva Conventions.
- Denying contact with the family and failing to disclose the child’s whereabouts constitutes enforced disappearance under the 2006 International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. It also constitutes an unlawful deprivation of liberty without legal justification, in violation of Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
- Abducting the child while she was on her way to school violates Article 28 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the right to education, as well as Article 16 on the protection of family life and privacy.
Recommendations by SNHR
- The immediate and unconditional release of the child, Mohammed Youssef, and ensuring his safe return to his family, along with the provision of psychosocial support.
- The cessation of all child recruitment by the Syrian Democratic Forces, including its civilian wings such as the “Revolutionary Youth.”
- Open an independent and impartial investigation into the circumstances of the child’s abduction and other cases of child recruitment and hold those responsible for violations accountable.
- Allow international organizations, particularly the International Commission of Inquiry, UNICEF, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to access recruitment camps and ensure the safety of children detained there.
- The transitional government in Damascus must protect all Syrian citizens from all forms of violations against them and hold perpetrators accountable.
