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UN envoy urges Taliban to stop recruiting Afghan children

UN envoy Vanessa Frazier told VOA the Taliban must end child recruitment in Afghanistan and accept 18, not signs of puberty, as the legal age of adulthood

Human Rights | UN envoy Vanessa Frazier told VOA the Taliban must end child recruitment in Afghanistan and accept 18, not signs of puberty, as the legal age of adulthood

ACW | November 13, 2026 — The U.N. special representative for children and armed conflict, Vanessa Frazier, has urged the Taliban to stop recruiting children and to recognize 18 as the age of adulthood, VOA reported.

In the interview, published on Nov. 12, Frazier said the problem lies in how the Taliban define a child. The Taliban leader has issued a decree banning the recruitment of children who show no physical signs of puberty, according to VOA.

"The distinguishing element that is used in the edicts of the Taliban is signs of puberty, and not the age of 18," Frazier said. She called on the Taliban to align their definition with the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Afghanistan has ratified.

"Families struggling to feed their children may see joining an armed force as a source of food, security and income," she said.

Frazier said boys in Taliban ranks are reportedly used for cooking, carrying weapons, fighting and border guard duties. She criticized the militarization of schools and said that by the time children are recruited, "there's already been some indoctrination that has happened in madrasas."

VOA did not report a Taliban response to her remarks.

Background: According to VOA, a U.N. report released in September verified the recruitment of 557 boys, some as young as 12, by the Taliban between 2023 and 2025. The U.S. State Department's 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report also said the Taliban recruit and use children in combat and support roles.

Why it matters: The Convention on the Rights of the Child defines everyone under 18 as a child. Frazier said the Taliban decree replaces that standard with physical signs of puberty, while poverty leaves Afghan children vulnerable to recruitment.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Sources: VOA — UN representative urges Taliban to end child recruitment; Etilaatroz

Photo: United Nations (via VOA)