US adds Turkey, 14 other countries to Child Soldiers Prevention Act list in its human trafficking report

Turkey became the first NATO ally to be placed in the list. The US State Department said that Turkey was providing “tangible support” to the Sultan Murad division, a faction of Syrian opposition which Ankara has long supported, which the US said had recruited and used child soldiers

The United States government has added Turkey to the list of countries which have been implicated in the use of child soldiers in the past year.

In the report, the US defined child soldiers as anyone below the age of 18 who takes part in hostilities as a member of governmental armed forces, police or other security forces. (AP | Representational image)

According to the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, released by the US Department of State on Friday (IST), Turkey was listed as one among 15 countries that had recruited or used child soldiers as required by the country’s Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA). “These determinations cover the reporting period beginning April 1, 2020 and ending March 31, 2021,” the report showed.

Also, Turkey became the first NATO ally to be placed in the list, according to a report by the Reuters. The US State Department said that Turkey was providing “tangible support” to the Sultan Murad division, a faction of Syrian opposition which Ankara has long supported, which the US said had recruited and used child soldiers.

The TIP report also showed that governments placed under the list could be subject to restrictions on certain security assistance and commercial licensing of military equipment. “Beginning October 1, 2021, and effective throughout Fiscal Year 2022, these restrictions will apply to the listed countries, absent a presidential waiver, applicable exception, or reinstatement of assistance pursuant to the terms of the CSPA,” the report showed.

Other countries in the CSPA List

Alongside Turkey, Afghanistan, Burma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.

Relations with Turkey

Turkey, a key NATO ally and critical regional partner to the US, is currently in negotiations for running the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, after the withdrawal of US and NATO troops.

However, officials have hinted that Turkey’s name in the list wouldn’t affect those negotiations.

“When it comes to trafficking in persons, I would not want to link the report today with the constructive discussions we are engaging in with Turkey, in the context of Afghanistan or any other area of shared interest,” Reuters quoted State Department spokesperson Ned Price as saying.

How US defines ‘child soldiers’

In the report, the US defined child soldiers as anyone below the age of 18 who takes part in hostilities as a member of governmental armed forces, police or other security forces. It also includes anyone under 18 years of age who has been compulsorily recruited into such forces, anyone under 15 years of age who has been voluntarily recruited into such forces.

Also, any person under 18 who has been recruited by armed forces distinct from the armed forces of the state are also included for the report.

Apart from hostilities, it also includes those serving in any capacity “including in a support role, such as “cook, porter, messenger, medic, guard or sex slave”” the report showed.