Syria, a childhood at gunpoint.
In Syria, the recruitment and use of child soldiers is a scourge. Documenting this war crime on the ground is difficult, the subject is taboo and local activists working on it are under threat.
In north-east Syria, some child soldiers are gradually returning to their families thanks to a "return plan", following an agreement reached in June 2019 between the UN and the Syrian Democratic Forces, the ground allies of the American-led international coalition.
However, even before this military alliance, the UN was pointing to this war crime committed by factions in north-eastern Syria in reports. The UN has also referenced cases of child soldiers during the period of the SDF/coalition alliance, and after the war against Daech.
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