Ankara slams US report that includes Turkey among child soldier recruiter nations

Ankara strongly slammed an update in the 2023 US Trafficking in Persons Report on Saturday that listed Turkey as a country that uses child soldiers.

"It is regrettable that Turkey’s significant efforts to prevent human trafficking have been disregarded by placing her in the list of child soldier recruiting states under the ‘Child Soldiers Prevention Act’ through an update of the 2023 U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Turkey is making every effort to prevent the crime of human trafficking, punish offenders and protect victims of the crime while maintaining its activities in an uninterrupted manner towards further strengthening bilateral, regional and international cooperation to this end," it said.

Human rights is once again being politicized in the report, it said.

"We categorically reject all allegations of children recruitment attributed to our country who is party to all international documents on the protection of children's rights including those adopted within the framework of the United Nations and meticulously implements them," it said.

"Before attempting such a defamation against Turkey, it would be anticipated from the U.S., who provides military and financial support to the PKK/YPG terrorist organization, which forcibly recruits children for terrorist activities in Syria and Iraq, to face its own reality. This case also raises serious questions about the objectivity of the information sources on which the US authorities base their decisions. This slander, which does not bode well with the spirit of alliance, will be duly responded," it said.

Numerous serious crimes committed by the so-called "Syrian Democratic Forces" under the control of the terrorist organization PKK/YPG, such as forcibly recruiting children, abduction, deprivation of liberty and military use of schools in Syria were recently documented in the report disseminated by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria on Sept. 12, it noted.

"Moreover, the most recent example of this terrorist organization's repressive practices and crime has been witnessed in Deir ez-Zor," said the Foreign Ministry.

Likewise, the US State Department's 2022 International Religious Freedom Report on Iraq, by specifically referring to the Yezidi community in Sinjar, explicitly states that the PKK forcibly recruits hundreds of Yezidi children and abducts them for ideological indoctrination purposes, it said, adding: "On this occasion, we would like to remind that scrutinizing oppressive practices and serious crimes of the separatist terrorist organization is among the fundamental responsibilities of the US."

"As a party committed to relevant regional and international conventions, Turkey will resolutely perpetuate its efforts hitherto aimed at preventing the crime of human trafficking," it said.