While the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) raise slogans of democracy and protection of communities, practices on the ground reveal contradictions to these statements, most notably grave violations against children, including kidnapping and forced recruitment.
These practices, carried out by groups linked to the PKK-affiliated Revolutionary Youth Movement (RYM), have become a growing source of concern for families and human rights organizations, amid official silence and a clear absence of accountability.
The violations are not limited to individual cases or specific areas, as local and international human rights reports point to a repeated and systematic pattern affecting children from various areas under SDF control.
Deceptive Recruitment Tactics
Under the guise of educational courses or training activities, minors are lured into closed camps, only to later find themselves outside their family environment, cut off from their relatives, and in some cases in direct contact with combat fronts.
Reports issued by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), Human Rights Watch, Syria Justice and Accountability Center, the Danish Ministry of Immigration and other organizations have documented hundreds of cases of abduction or child recruitment while condemning the SDF’s practices.
SNHR confirmed between September 29 to October 5, 2025, the SDF carried out a series of arbitrary detentions affecting at least 113 people, including 12 children and a number of institute students, throughout various neighborhoods of Raqqa city and several areas under its control in Deir Ezzor governorate.
Collectively, these reports indicate the number of victims has exceeded hundreds of children who have fallen victim to kidnapping and forced recruitment operations.
Widespread Violations
In an exclusive statement to Levant24, Executive Director of SNHR Fadel Abdulghani said that the recruitment of children is one of the most widespread violations in the Syrian conflict, and SDF have been among the main parties responsible for it in recent years.
In some years, they have been the worst entity in child recruitment, including abducting children for the purpose of military conscription, despite signing an action plan with the UN in June 2019 to end and prevent the recruitment of those under 18 years of age.
Abdulghani held that entities linked to the SDF, including the RYM, are responsible for recruitment and abduction operations, with documented patterns of intimidation against families and attempts to prevent them from reporting or peacefully protesting for the return of their children.
He noted that from a legal perspective, the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict prohibits non-state armed groups from recruiting or using those under 18 years of age in hostilities, and recruiting children under 15 is considered a war crime under the Rome Statute. Abdulghani says the network demands an immediate cessation of recruitment and a comprehensive and transparent demobilization of children.
SNHR also stressed enabling independent UN entities to investigate, ensuring protection for families, witnesses, and journalists, and opening an effective accountability pathway placing the best interests of the child and their right to protection, education, and family reunification at the core of any security or administrative arrangements in northeastern Syria.
Concerns Over Continued Violations
Bashar, a 40-year-old resident from Raqqa, told Levant24, “[SDF] militias forcibly recruit young Arab and teen males and send them to military training camps to fight their brothers in the Syrian Army. These crackdown and arresting campaigns displace large numbers of Arab youths who flee their hometowns and seeking safety in government controlled areas to escape forced military conscription.”
According to Bashar large numbers of SDF fighters are defecting, so leaders within the organization have ordered the conscription of more and more youths to compensate for the shortage of fighters. These SDF practices raise serious concerns about their commitment to democratic principles, as their continued use of child soldiers and other human rights abuses undermine the very values they profess to uphold.
