Children Facing Islamic State

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Since the declaration of the new Islamic State – also known as Daesh – on 9 April 2014 and even earlier, all human rights, especially where children are concerned, have been violated and disregarded in this territory. The villages attacked, destroyed and burned by Daesh have become the ideal landscape for radical Islamist militants. Children and women have become slaves and serve as currency between the different camps of these extremist fighters.

Recruiting Children by Daesh

Most of the children arrive at the camps with their families, from Europe and neighbouring countries, but many are also kidnapped from the villages destroyed by the war. According to the UN report published in February 2014, these children are between 8 and 15 years old.  Daesh uses these children to make, according to them, “the army of the future”. All of these children are transferred and sold into training camps in Iraq or Syria, where their personalities are reshaped with no concern for their age or their physical or psychological condition.

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Torture and Endangerment of children

In Daesh camps, children are treated like slaves; they are beaten with metal rods and must work in the kitchens, supplying the camps with food. They also suffer barbaric training for war. They are taught to kill, cut throats, make bombs, and even to rape for the older ones. Children are often placed on the front line when fighting in areas known by the opponents of the international alliance.

The Role of Children and their Families in Daesh

Daesh sends recruiters to advocate the benefits of the Islamic state in Europe and other countries around the world. Many European converts to radical Islam volunteer without really understanding the stakes and conditions of the journey they are committing to undertake with their children. We recall, in particular, the recent indictment of Maxime Hauchard, a 22-year-old French man in the ranks of Islamic State. The recruiters send them to Turkey where smugglers help them cross enemy lines. Once they arrive in Syria or Iraq, those women and children capable of participating in training are separated and go with their fathers to the camps; the smallest children remain with their mothers and the other women.

The lack of information and the limitations created by the war prevent more accurate information about the situation of these trained children fighting in a war against their will. However, the violence and brutality of their actions drive us to take action to prevent the risks run by children in this situation.

 

Written by: Osama Rihan
Translated by: Yoleth Lainez
Proofread by : Holly-Anne Whyte