Summary:

"We are receiving allegations of children with the Free Syrian Army,'' Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN special representative for children in armed conflict, told reporters.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10794922

[27 March 2012] - The United Nations has received reports that Syrian rebels are using child soldiers in their battle against President Bashar al-Assad's forces, a UN official said Monday.

"We are receiving allegations of children with the Free Syrian Army,'' Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN special representative for children in armed conflict, told reporters.

However she gave no details, saying: "We haven't been able to verify or check'' the allegations of breaches of conventions banning the use of child soldiers aged under 16.

The Free Syrian Army is led by defectors from Assad's security forces and government, which has refused to let human rights investigators into the country. The UN says well over 8,000 people have died in Syria in the year since an uprising against the president started.

Meanwhile, a leading member of a UN human rights inquiry into Syria quit on Monday, blaming Assad's refusal to let in outside investigators.

Yakin Erturk, a leading international rights expert, left the three-person commission as the UN Human Rights Council extended its mandate for another six months. 

"I decided not to continue, mainly because of my concern over not having access to Syria,'' Erturk told AFP. "This is a serious hindrance of the commission of inquiry.''

The commission has produced two reports so far. One released this month said Syrian forces have shot dead unarmed women and children and tortured wounded protesters in hospital under orders from "highest'' government officials.

Erturk said she had full confidence that the reports were the best possible, but she felt she had "no more to contribute to the inquiry''.

It was important for investigators to keep monitoring Syria, she said, but the UN Human Rights Council would have to decide whether the inquiry commission was the best way.

The council on Friday extended the mandate of the inquiry - which is led by Sergio Pinheiro of Brazil and also includes Karin Abu Zeid of the United States - until September when a special investigator could take over.

With the UN Security Council largely deadlocked over how to take action on Syria, the Rights Council's move to set up the inquiry last September was one of the first acts of international pressure on Assad's government.

Erturk is a former UN special human rights rapporteur on violence against women and is still a member of the Council of Europe's committee for the prevention of torture.

Further Information: 

• SYRIA: Authorities systematically targeting children (28 March 2012) 
• SYRIA: Villagers 'forced into human shield for Assad's soldiers' (25 March 2012)
• SYRIA: Whole city besieged to "wipe out pockets of armed terrorists” (22 February 2012) 
• SYRIA: SRSG Coomaraswamy calls to immediately halt all violations against children (9 February 2012) 
• SYRIA: Children severely tortured in detention (3 February 2012) 
• SYRIA: Remembering child victims of military crackdown (17 January 2012)
• SYRIA: 6,200 killed, including 400 children (9 January 2012) 
• SYRIA: Boy, 10, slain in home by sniper (12 December 2011) 
• SYRIA: Assad denies responsibility for the killing of thousands of anti-government protesters (7 December 2011)
• SYRIA: Children's rights violations feature in Special Session on Syria (2 December 2011) 
• SYRIA: UN rights panel voices alarm at reported torture of children (25 November 2011)
• SYRIA: Wave of violence targets children (23 November 2011) 
• SYRIA: Three children among latest killed (28 October 2011) 
• SYRIA: Concerns over “rampant torture” (7 October 2011)
• SYRIA: New report indicates over 5,000 deaths since March, including 148 children (Avvaz, 22 September 2011)
• SYRIA: Death toll tops 2,700, including 100 children (20 September 2011) 
• SYRIA: Boy, 12, shot dead during funeral procession (13 September 2011) 
• SYRIA: Teen killed as protesters call for international protection (9 September 2011) 
• SYRIA: Amnesty report shows 88 civilians killed in detention, including 10 children (31 August 2011) 
• SYRIA: A child's killing freeze-frames tragedy (17 August 2011) 
• SYRIA: Defectors describe orders to shoot unarmed protesters (18 July 2011) 
• SYRIA: Second teenager tortured to death (16 June 2011) 
• SYRIA: Soldier 'ordered to fire' on peaceful protesters (10 June 2011)
• More on children's rights in Syria 

Previous News release items

• 28/03/2012: SYRIA: Syria authorities target children, says UN rights chief (Arabic)
• 28/03/2012: AFGHANISTAN: Disguising girls as boys
• 28/03/2012: Death penalty 2011: Alarming levels of executions in the few countries that kill (Arabic)
• 28/03/2012: SYRIA: Authorities are systematically targeting children, says UN rights chief
• 28/03/2012: KYRGYZSTAN: Memories of Osh violence continue to haunt children

Organisation Contact Details:

New Zealand Herald

Last updated 29/03/2012 14:23:15

Please note that these reports are hosted by CRIN as a resource for Child Rights campaigners, researchers and other interested parties. Unless otherwise stated, they are not the work of CRIN and their inclusion in our database does not necessarily signify endorsement or agreement with their content by CRIN.