TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO (Commonwealth Union)_ Human Rights Watch said in a research released today that many youngsters repatriated from detention centres for Islamic State (ISIS) suspects and their families in northeast Syria are effectively reintegrating back into their home countries. Trinidad and Tobago should move quickly to allow the return of an estimated 70 children and 25 mothers who are still in the camps.
“‘My Son is Just Another Kid’: Experiences of Children Repatriated from Camps for ISIS Suspects and Their Families in Northeast Syria,” a 63-page report, documents the experiences of about 100 children who were repatriated or returned to France, Germany, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Uzbekistan between 2019 and 2022. Despite years of incarceration in life-threatening conditions with little water, fresh food, and health care, as well as little to no access to education, Human Rights Watch discovered that many of the children appear to be coping well and functioning well in school. Many have successfully reintegrated and participate in a variety of activities with their peers, including football, skating, cycling, dance, crafts, and music.
“Children rescued from the horrors of the camps are doing well in school, making friends, and forging new lives in their home countries,” said Jo Becker, Human Rights Watch’s children’s rights advocacy director. “Despite unimaginable hardship, many are reintegrating admirably.”
Human Rights Watch polled 81 family members, foster parents, social workers, and teachers regarding returned or repatriated children, and interviewed family members, lawyers, legal guardians, and mental health specialists. When asked how the youngster was adjusting, 89 percent of poll respondents said it was “very well” or “very well.” 73 percent stated the youngster was doing “extremely well” or “very well” in school.
“It is conceivable, completely possible, for reintegration and recovery of children,” said the grandpa of numerous children back to Sweden in 2019. “My grandchildren are living proof of this. They have recovered in the most amazing way…. Every youngster should have the option to start over in life.”
Approximately 56,000 individuals, virtually all of whom are women and children, are unlawfully incarcerated in al-Hol and Roj, two vast, closed camps in northeast Syria that predominantly house the wives and children of male ISIS suspects. More than 18,000 are from Syria, 28,000 from neighbouring Iraq, and over 10,000 from more than 60 other nations.
