(Eqtsad)- Rabia, 12-year-old, carries his thin body which bends under the weight of the heavy Russian made rifle. He hangs it on his shoulder, passing over his neck and the collection of magazines and hand grenades.
Rabia was a middle school student in the 7th grade, known to be serious and perseverant, but he is now a fighter known as Abu al-Baraa after he joined a fighting faction.
Rabia said, “I was a student when there someone providing for me and spending on, but now I depend on myself because I lost my father in one of the battles with the regime forces,” he indicated that in his current situation and in the absence of a provider for his family he left his studies and joined one of the opposition factions functioning in his area firstly to avenge his father’s death and to provide a stable income for his mother and three young siblings as he told Eqtsad.
Rabia indicated the he is one of around 20 children of his age whose economic circumstances have pushed them to take on responsibility early in life. They joined the training course held by one of the factions for new recruits indicating that he tried a lot of jobs and professions but he was unable to gain a stable income which allowed him to provide for his family.
Omran his friend said, “we joined the training course because there is no future before us, not studying or otherwise.” He added, “I was a 9th grade student, but because of the security forces following my relative I became afraid to go to Deraa city to undertake the 9th grade exam. I was forced to look for a job to support my family after my father was arrested so I worked in a workshop fixing motors, I sold petrol, a simple tradesman, but the high prices always landed me with a big loss, I couldn’t withstand the loss so I joining one of the fighting factions in my area to secure an income to help my family to live in a dignified manner so I joined this faction and it gives me a monthly wage of around 50 $ in addition to some bonuses I spend on me and my family.”
Regarding the danger of military work on his life, Omran said, “the faction command does not put us in direct battle due to our young age and our work is restricted to guarding evacuating and other not dangerous military work.”
He added, “if anything happens to us if Allah allows and we died then we die martyrs.”
He continued, “ages are in the hands of Allah.”
For his part, the rights activist Abu Qais al-Hourani confirmed, “there are many cases like this among the fighting factions,” indicating that the repercussions of the revolution produced my economic and social problems which are reflected in all members of society old or young.
He indicated, “the crime committed by the regime in the right of men and youths pushed my children and adolescents to take on responsibilities at a young age due to the absence of a provider, forcing them to leave school and search for a stable source of income in difficult economic situation due to the lack of options in terms of job opportunities or less dangerous professions.”
He added, “opening the door to work in these military organizations and the facilitating joining them encouraged youths and children to join them.” He confirmed that children joining these factions is against all traditions of our society which focuses in its teachings on the necessity of educating children and keeping them away from all manifestations of armament, and providing healthy and secure atmosphere for them.
He said, “rather than those children going to school they are now thrown into grinding battles and are exposed to death because of their presence in unsafe areas targeted by the regime forces,” he called for finding instructions that prevent and limit the recruitment of children into armed work and setting a bar for the age of recruits.
Oum Zahir said, “I urged my son, 13 years old, to not join the fighting factions and I tried to keep him away from it several times but he kept insisting because a number of his friends joined.” She clarified that she does not need his work nor his salary because she has sufficient resources to provide for her and her family as she receives some held from relatives and family living abroad.
She continued, “I have no more authority over him and he does not listen to me anymore.” She indicated that some of the factions responded to her with compassion and kept her son away from their faction but he left his village and joined a fighting faction in another area.
Abdulfattah, a psychology teacher, told Eqtsad, “this is the tax of war. Children are always the weakest link and the most influenced by its events.” He indicated that the absence of educational opportunities and severe poverty which people in liberated areas are experiencing has provided a fertile ground for recruiting adolescents and here lies the danger according to his description.
He added, “youths or adolescents who carry weapons in the absence of a guardian or provider starts to see himself as a man and master of himself and he can commit what is expected of wrong practices.” He called responsible actors in the liberated areas to be alert to this phenomena and work to limit it because it will create a future generation who encourage violence and are difficult to control especially as we know these youngsters are being subjected to brain washing and various influences among them dogmatic influences and ideological influences.
He indicated that arming children and sending them in organizations and factions builds dogmatic thoughts and you witness a noticeable rejection from members of society based on the reflections and negative influences on society and its future, so the number of those objecting to this in the liberated areas has increased calling for reining in this manifestation and limiting it.
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