"We just want our children to be safe. It was like hell [in Syria] for them. One of the boys has an Australian accent, even though he's never been to Australia. The Australian federal police said on Wednesday that some of the women would be arrested and charged, while support would be made available for the children."
"We need to focus on what is going to happen to these women when they arrive, and we've heard from the AFP commissioner today about that, and we also need to focus on giving these children the space to recover, to survive, to thrive. Two-thirds of this cohort that we're talking about in Syria are children. There's been a lot of focus on the women and the choices they may have made but we need to focus on these children and give them a chance of resuming a normal life in Australia."
"The fact that other women and children had returned, and that other western nations had also successfully reintegrated their citizens, meant the temperature should be dialled right down in relation to the cohort. There have been recent unconfirmed reports from Syria that evacuations of the camps have begun, increasing the likelihood that other Australians will return."
Four women and nine children are returning to Australia from detention camps in Syria's northeast, where they lived under Islamic State rule. The families endured harsh conditions in the camps following the caliphate's collapse in 2019. Upon arrival, some mothers will face potential criminal charges from Australian federal police, while children will receive support services. Authorities in two Australian states are preparing resettlement programs. Child welfare advocates emphasize prioritizing the children's recovery and reintegration into normal life, noting that two-thirds of the detained cohort are children. Other Western nations have successfully repatriated and reintegrated similar groups, suggesting Australia can follow established models for rehabilitation and community reintegration.
#australian-repatriation #syrian-detention-camps #child-welfare-and-reintegration #islamic-state-aftermath #criminal-justice-and-rehabilitation
Read at www.theguardian.com
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