Human Rights Organization: Kurdish Children face daily abuse in Afrin Schools

The Afrin – Syria Human Rights Organization issued a statement today regarding the treatment of Kurdish children in schools in occupied Afrin:

Daily Violence Against Kurdish Students

With the start of the 2025–2026 school year in Syria, a serious issue has emerged in Qarmtelq village, part of Shieh in rural Afrin. Local sources report that students face daily physical and psychological abuse in the primary school.

The teachers involved, identified as Mona and her husband Khaled—both Arab settlers connected to the "Al-Amshet" mercenaries—allegedly repeatedly assault Kurdish students through beating and verbal humiliation. This has caused fear among the children, with some refusing to attend school.

Clear Ethnic Discrimination

The harsh treatment targets primarily Kurdish children, indicating systematic ethnic discrimination. According to local accounts, Mona and Khaled rely on their ties to the controlling mercenaries in the village, giving them informal immunity from accountability.

Lack of Protection and Oversight

Despite the presence of "Public Security" in Afrin, parents report that complaints have been ignored or closed under the pretext of maintaining “security stability,” leaving children unprotected and exposed to daily school violence.

Violation of Children’s Right to Education

These practices directly violate international child rights conventions, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which guarantees: safe access to education, prohibition of all forms of violence in educational institutions, and equality without racial or linguistic discrimination.

Education Used as a Tool of Pressure

In Afrin, education is reportedly used as a tool to intimidate Kurdish families, weaken attachment to school and culture, and instill fear rather than promote learning.

Deliberate Policy to Undermine Kurdish Identity

Parents assert that these incidents are not isolated, but part of a deliberate policy to discourage Kurdish children from attending school, marginalize their language and culture, and assert psychological and social control over the next generation through early humiliation.

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ANHA