Allot of leaders connected to war in Syria are killing
children in Syria
including US backed
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/the-syrian-crisis-
simplified-whos-fighting-whom-and-why
World Dec 18, 2015 11:55 AM EST
WASHINGTON — One nation, two wars, a quarter-million
lives lost, millions forced from their homes, and still
no end in sight for the pitiless, seemingly bottomless
crisis in Syria.
The U.S., Russia and a collection of Middle Eastern and
European countries are gathering with Syrians Friday in
search of a solution. The urgency of making peace and
rooting the Islamic State from its Syrian base is
heightened by evidence of the extremist group’s
spreading influence — the shock of attacks in Paris and
San Bernardino, California, extremists boasting of
downing a Russian jetliner, and bombings dotting the
Middle East.
Yet how to untangle the nearly 5-year-old Syrian mess
is a puzzle.
A rundown of who’s fighting whom, and why, in Syria:
TWO WARS
There are actually two wars going on in Syria. First
came the rebellion against Syrian President Bashar
Assad.
Assad succeeded his father as authoritarian leader of
Syria in 2000. He responded to peaceful Arab Spring
protesters in 2011 with a crackdown so brutal that it
sparked an armed revolt that still rages.
more at link
https://snhr.org/blog/2024/11/20/on-world-childrens-
day-snhrs-13th-annual-report-on-violations-against-chOn
World Children’s Day: SNHR’s 13th Annual Report on
Violations Against Children in Syria
20-Nov-2024ildren-in-syria/#
Elsewhere, the report reveals that SNHR nominated a
Syrian brother and sister, Ahmed and Sana Abdul Karim
Zeer, for the 2024 Children’s Peace Prize in
recognition of their role in in supporting their fellow
conflict-affected children and highlighting their
suffering.
Figures on violations against children
The report documents the killing of 30,293 children at
the hands of the parties to the conflict and the
controlling forces in Syria since March 2011, with
23,058 of these child victims having been killed at the
hands of Syrian regime forces, while 2,059 were killed
by Russian forces. In addition, a total of 959 children
were killed by ISIS, and 76 were killed by Hay’at
Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Furthermore, the report adds, the
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were responsible for the
killing of 274 children, while all armed opposition
factions/Syrian National Army (SNA) killed 1,010
children. Lastly, 927 children were killed in attacks
by US-led International Coalition, while 1,930 children
were killed by other parties.
Extensive figures on arrests and violations against
children
With regard to arrest/detention, enforced
disappearance, and torture, the report notes that no
fewer than 5,298 children are still detained and/or
forcibly disappeared by the parties to the conflict and
the controlling forces as of November 20, 2024. These
are divided as follows: 3,702 children are still
detained and/or forcibly disappeared by Syrian regime
forces, 319 by ISIS, 47 by HTS, 859 by SDF, and 371 by
all armed opposition factions/SNA.
Child deaths due to torture in detention centers
The report records that 225 children have died due to
torture in Syria since March 2011 up until November 20,
2024, including 216 children who died in regime
detention centers, accounting for about 96 percent of
the total, while two died in HTS detention centers, one
at the hands of ISIS, three at the hands of SDF, and
one at the hands of all armed opposition factions/SNA.
Lastly, two children have died due to torture at the
hands of other parties.
Attacks on educational and medical facilities
Additionally, the report documents that no fewer than
1,714 of the schools and kindergartens in Syria have
been targeted by attacks carried out by the various
parties to the conflict and controlling forces in Syria
since March 2011 up until November 20, 2024. Of these
attacks, 1,270 schools and kindergartens were attacks
by regime forces, 222 by Russian forces, 48 by SDF, 38
by all armed opposition factions/SNA, 25 by US-led
International Coalition forces, three by HTS, 25 by
ISIS, and 83 by other parties.
The report also documents no fewer than 889 attacks on
medical facilities in the same time period. A total of
562 attacks were carried out by regime forces, 209 by
Russian forces, 19 by ISIS, 16 by all armed opposition
factions/SNA, 16 by US-led International Coalition
forces, 12 by SDF, two by HTS, one by the Turkistan
Islamic Party, and 62 by other parties.
Child conscription
The report further notes that SNHR has documented at
least 2,395 incidents of child conscription in Syria
since March 2011, up until November 20, 2024, including
1,493 by regime forces, and 701 by the SDF. In
addition, HTS was documented as conscripting 103
children, with a further 98 conscripted by all armed
opposition factions/SNA.
Violations against children persists in 2024
The report records that grave violations involving
violence against children by the parties to the
conflict and controlling forces have continued
throughout 2024. These violations include killing,
serious injuries, maiming, conscription, arbitrary
arrest, enforced disappearance, and torture. The
recorded incidents highlight the daily suffering of
children and the devastating ramifications of the
conflict on their lives and future.
More children registered as dead: New documents reveal
more violations
Since 2018, the report notes, SNHR has documented that
the Syrian regime has been registering the deaths of
forcibly disappeared persons, including children, in
the civil registry records without revealing any
details about the victims’ cause of death or returning
their bodies to their families. New documents that
surfaced in 2024 have revealed the deaths of at least
50 of the forcibly disappeared children who had been
registered as dead in the civil registry records
between 2018 and 2024.
Harrowing patterns of sexual violence in detention
centers
As the report further reveals, children detained in
regime detention centers have experienced several
patterns of sexual violence, which is one of the
cruelest forms of torture. These patterns include
forcible stripping, beating on the genitals,
molestation, and rape, in addition to verbal and sexual
violence. The report clarifies that documenting these
violations or assessing their real frequency is a
challenging task in itself, given the victims’ fear of
speaking out about their experiences. Still, SNHR has
documented 539 cases of sexual violence against
children since 2011.
Child conscription: a systematic policy by SDF
The report highlights a systematic child conscription
policy enacted by the SDF, which has led to children
making up a key part of the SDF’s ranks, under the
supervision of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The
report also reveals that the affiliated People’s
Protection Units (YPG), which were founded in 2012,
have greatly expanded their conscription of children
across all areas under their control.
Violations persist despite international instruments
Despite the abundance of international legal
instruments put in place to protect children, the
report stresses that violations against children in
Syria have not stopped for over 13 years, with all
parties to the conflict failing to respect any of these
laws. Some of these violations, including extrajudicial
killing, enforced disappearance, torture, and child
conscription, have amounted to crimes against humanity,
while others amount to war crimes when committed in the
context of the armed conflict, as well as being grave
violations of international human rights law.
Recommendations to limit the suffering of Syrian
children
The report calls on all parties to the conflict to:
Respect international human rights law and the
provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child, stop targeting children and areas where children
are present
Release detained children, end all torture of child
detainees, and separate them from adults in detention
centers.
Follow the Beijing Rules on trying children.
End child conscription and discharge children from
military forces.
End the use of schools and healthcare facilities for
military purposes.
Provide psychological support for conflict-affected
children
A call for the international community
The report calls on the international community and the
UN Security Council to take urgent actions, including:
Impose sanctions on individuals and entities
responsible for violations against children.
Promote protection and education programs for children
in asylum countries.
Provide support and protection for internally displaced
and refugee children.
Condemn the states supporting the Syrian regime for
supporting the regime despite the regime’s multiple
contraventions of the UN Convention on the Rights of
the Child.
Meet the pledges made to fund relief and protection
programs for children.
Conclusion
The report also offers a number of other
recommendations to improve the situation of children
who are affected by the conflict and to ensure their
fundamental rights, placing emphasis on the importance
of ensuring international accountability for all the
violating parties.
Download the full report
and from Wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Democratic_Forces
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)[a] is a Kurdish-
led[12][104][105] coalition formed by ethnic militias
and rebel groups, and serves as the official military
wing of the Autonomous Administration of North and East
Syria (AANES).[106][107][108] The SDF is allied to and
supplied by the United States–led CJTF–OIR
international alliance.[104] Founded in 10 October
2015, the SDF claims that its mission is fighting to
create a secular, democratic and federalized Syria. The
SDF is opposed by Turkey, who claims the group has
direct links to the PKK, which it regards as a
terrorist group.[109]
Formed as a rebel alliance in the Syrian civil war,
[110][111] the SDF is composed primarily of Kurdish,
Arab, and Assyrian/Syriac, as well as some smaller
Armenian, Turkmen and Chechen forces.[112][10] It is
militarily led by the People's Protection Units (YPG),
a Kurdish militia regarded as a terrorist group by
Turkey. SDF also includes several ethnic militias, and
various factions of the Syrian opposition's Free Syrian
Army.[113][114]
The primary opponents of the SDF are the various
Islamist, Syrian nationalist, and pro-Turkish forces
involved in the civil war. Major enemies include al-
Qaeda affiliates, the Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant (ISIL), the Syrian National Army (TFSA), the
Turkish Armed Forces, and their allies. The SDF has
focused primarily on the ISIL,[115] successfully
driving them from important strategic areas, such as
Al-Hawl, Shaddadi, Tishrin Dam, Manbij, al-Tabqah,
Tabqa Dam, Baath Dam, and ISIL's former capital of
Raqqa.[116][117][118][119][120][121] In March 2019, the
SDF announced the total territorial defeat of ISIL in
Syria, with the SDF taking control of the last
stronghold in Baghuz.[122]
Since the territorial defeat of ISIL, the SDF has
increasingly been involved with resisting the growing
Turkish occupation of northern Syria.[123]
History
Establishment
Foundation
The establishment of the SDF was announced on 11
October 2015 during a press conference in al-Hasakah.
[124] The alliance built on longstanding previous
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