Detention of children in times of conflict: are rehabilitation centres used as an ideological instrument and as such further violate their rights?: a comparative analysis of Northeast Syria and Ukraine/Russia

This comparative analysis draws from our desk-based literature review for the Applied Research Project on “Detention of Children in Times of Conflict: Are Rehabilitation Centres Used as an Ideological Instrument and as such Further Violate Their Rights?”. Based on the findings from the literature review, and insights gathered from expert interviews, this document highlights the multiple facets of children’s detention in times of conflict, specifically in Northeast Syria (NES) and Ukraine/Russia (UKRR), and emphasises the complexities of this phenomenon. The analysis concludes that rehabilitation centres are employed as an instrument or strategy to detach children from their previous ideologies, religions, and cultures, placing them in environments where narratives and beliefs align with the overarching objectives of the governing authorities. In Northeast Syria (NES), rehabilitation centres are used to “de-radicalize” boys who are perceived as future threats due to their association with ISIS ideology. In Ukraine/Russia (UKRR), rehabilitation centres are designed to “integrate” Ukrainian children, through Russian centric education, into the Russian government’s notion of national culture, history, and society.