Your trusted source

Ankara strongly slammed an update in the 2023 US Trafficking in Persons Report on Saturday that listed Turkey as a country that uses child soldiers, Anadolu Agency said.

"It is regrettable that Turkey significant efforts to prevent human trafficking have been disregarded by placing her in the list of child soldier recruiting states under the ‘Child Soldiers Prevention Act’ through an update of the 2023 U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"We categorically reject all allegations of children recruitment attributed to our country who is party to all international documents on the protection of children's rights including those adopted within the framework of the United Nations and meticulously implements them," it said.

"Before attempting such a defamation against Türkiye, it would be anticipated from the U.S., who provides military and financial support to the PKK/YPG terrorist organization, which forcibly recruits children for terrorist activities in Syria and Iraq, to face its own reality. This case also raises serious questions about the objectivity of the information sources on which the US authorities base their decisions. This slander, which does not bode well with the spirit of alliance, will be duly responded," the ministry added.