UN: France Violates Rights of Children Detained in Syrian Camps

The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) published its report after examining three petitions filed by a group of French nationals whose grandchildren, nieces and nephews are currently detained in the Roj, Ain Issa and Al-Hol camps, under the control of Kurdish forces. Since last year, 62 children are said to have died in the camps due to living conditions, according to the committee.

"The children live in inhumane sanitary conditions, lack basic necessities, including water, food and health care, and face an imminent risk of death. The situation is therefore extremely urgent," said Ann Skelton, a member of the Committee.

Since the relatives of these children raised the alarm by bringing the case before the Committee, the French government has repatriated 11 out of 49. Among the children still present in these camps, some were born in Syria, while others traveled there with their French parents who would have collaborated with the terrorist group Daesh.

But regardless of their parents’ fault, the Committee believes they should not be abandoned in these difficult conditions. It urges France to take urgent measures to repatriate the remaining 38 children, "because every day that passes creates a risk for new victims," Ms. Skelton stressed.