URFA - 40 children were killed or injured in 24 days in Northern and Eastern Syria during Turkey's attacks. Nudem Movement Spokesperson Cihan Reşid said: "Turkey's aim is to destroy the credibility of the autonomous region by killing children and civilians."

 

Turkey's threats of attack on Northern and Eastern Syria and the increasing air strikes after the talks with Russia and Iran continue to violate the right to life of the civilian population, especially children.

 

Finally, in the attack carried out by Turkey on a school in Şemokê village on the Til Temir and Hesekê road in Northern and Eastern Syria on August 18, 4 children were killed and 11 children were injured. With the death of one of the injured, Silava Remedan, on September 5, the number of children killed rose to 5.

 

CHILDREN ARE TARGETED

 

While international institutions kept their silence against the massacres, the Northern and Eastern Syria Autonomous Administration Sulaymaniyah Representation and the Rojava Solidarity Front reported that 30 people were killed in the air strikes carried out by Turkey from July 19 to  August 19, 8 of them were women, in the report they published on August 20 and 7 of them were children.

 

The UK-based non-governmental organisation Save the Children has published a report on the children who lost their lives in drone attacks between August 1-24. According to the report, 40 children were killed or injured in the drone attacks against the cities of Northern and Eastern Syria in 24 days.

 

Nudem Movement spokesperson Cihan Reşid, who works on children's rights in Northern and Eastern Syria, where Turkey continues to threaten attacks, spoke to our agency (MA) about the rights violations of children.

 

CHILDREN ARE ATTACKED BY WAR

 

Stating that the right to life of children in Northern and Eastern Syria was ignored in Turkey's air strikes and drawing attention to the number of children killed in the recent attacks, Reşid said: "Turkey has been targeting these children even in safe zones with these attacks, Children have the right to grow up in safe zones. However, in recent times, we see that the public in general, and children in particular, are not protected in air strikes. This is a special policy for this region. Turkey wants to come to power here."

 

THE AIM OF TURKEY

 

Pointing to international laws and conventions, Reşid said: "There are laws that will protect children's rights even in war. The children were deprived of these during the war in Northern and Eastern Syria. Turkey is also a party of the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child. Two children, aged 14 and 15, were murdered recently. The international community did not mention a defense mechanism for these children. Turkey's aim is to destroy the security of the autonomous region by killing children and civilians."

 

'AUTONOMOUS REGION MUST BE DEFENDED'

 

Reşid stated that besides the children whose right to life was taken away by the attacks, they were also deprived of other basic rights such as education and playing games, and that international states, including alliances, kept their silence against attacks and that the autonomous region should be defended against attacks. Stating that international states should fulfill their responsibilities towards children's rights, Reşid finally said: "International institutions need to take a stance for these rights that Turkey has ignored. Turkey should be tried in international courts against targeting children just because they live in a war zone. International states should see this situation in Northern and Eastern Syria. The voice of the people living in the autonomous region should be heard. Children are chosen as victims here.”

 

MA / Ceylan Şahinli