Trapped and traumatised: Thousands of foreign children languish in Syrian camps with no hope of going home
3 years, 2 months ago

Trapped and traumatised: Thousands of foreign children languish in Syrian camps with no hope of going home

The Independent  

The sun rises and the boys at the al-Houri deradicalisation centre and orphanage in northeast Syria move listlessly through yet another day of chores, in what is effectively a prison. “It’s simple, countries need to take their children home.” In February 2021, Unicef estimated there were more than 22,000 foreign children of at least 60 nationalities languishing in camps and prisons in the northeast, in addition to many thousands of Syrian children. “Aid agencies are doing the best they can but we simply cannot meet any kind of international standards,” explains Save The Children’s Sonia Kush, after a recent visit to al-Houri centre, Roj and al-Hol camps, where the charity runs education centres. The Home Office told The Independent they were willing to bring back orphans or unaccompanied British children “where feasible and there is no risk to UK national security”. “The UK government should be directing its funding to bringing the small number of British families home, where the kids can receive the rehabilitation support they need, and adults can be prosecuted where appropriate.” Back at the al-Houri centre, the administration is building a small football pitch to boost the morale of boys who are processing years worth of trauma, from abuse, neglect and war.

Children Camps Independent Syria British Countries Centre Syrian Isis Tho Northeast Syria Foreign Children  going  northeast  british  syrian  syria  centre  languish  foreign  traumatised  camps  countries  killed  thousands  alhouri  children  uk  trapped  hope

History of this topic

UN-backed commission says 30,000 children are suffering rights abuses in northeastern Syria
1 year ago

UN-backed commission says 30,000 children are suffering rights abuses in northeastern Syria

Associated Press  

GENEVA — Five years after the Islamic State group lost the last sliver of land it controlled in Syria, nearly 30,000 children of militants and their supporters of various nationalities are suffering abuse in camps, prisons and rehabilitation centers in the war-torn country’s northwest, a U.N.-backed commission said Monday. “These children were already victimized during ISIL’s rule, only to be …

HRW: More must be done to help ISIL camp repatriates reintegrate
2 years, 4 months ago

HRW: More must be done to help ISIL camp repatriates reintegrate

Al Jazeera  

The reintegration into society of thousands of children repatriated from camps in northeast Syria for suspected members of ISIL is being made more difficult by the policies of several mainly-European governments, Human Rights Watch has said. “Our interviews and surveys found that while many children are reintegrating successfully into their new communities, policy choices by some governments have made reintegration …

Group warns of rampant violence in Syria camp of IS families
2 years, 4 months ago

Group warns of rampant violence in Syria camp of IS families

Associated Press  

RAQQA, Syria — A sprawling camp in northeastern Syria housing tens of thousands of women and children linked to the Islamic State group is witnessing pervasive violence, exploitation and lawlessness, an international aids group said Monday. Doctors Without Borders also said that countries with citizens held in the detention center of al-Hol in Syria’s northeastern province of Hassakeh have failed …

France repatriates 40 children, 15 women from camps in Syria
2 years, 5 months ago

France repatriates 40 children, 15 women from camps in Syria

Al Jazeera  

Repatriation is the largest in three months and comes a week after an EU rights court condemned France over its refusal to return two women detained in Syria. France has repatriated 40 children and 15 women from Kurdish-run camps in Syria holding family members of suspected ISIL armed group fighters, according to the French foreign ministry. But the latest repatriation …

Federal government says Australians returning from Syrian detention camps will be monitored by security agencies
2 years, 5 months ago

Federal government says Australians returning from Syrian detention camps will be monitored by security agencies

ABC  

The federal government has said Australian women and children expected to be repatriated from Syria will be closely monitored by national security agencies, as the Coalition argued the rescue mission is too dangerous. Key points: The federal government intends to bring dozens of women and children in Syrian detention camps home to Australia A government frontbencher expects security agencies will …

Syria's Kurds Repatriate Nearly 150 IS-Related Tajikistan Women, Children
2 years, 8 months ago

Syria's Kurds Repatriate Nearly 150 IS-Related Tajikistan Women, Children

News 18  

Syria’s semi-autonomous Kurdish administration handed Tajikistan 146 women and children related to Islamic State group jihadists, a Kurdish official said Monday, in the first such repatriation to the ex-Soviet state. Thousands of foreign extremists joined IS as fighters, often bringing their wives and children to live in the “caliphate” declared by the group across swathes of Iraq and Syria in …

Advocates fear for women and children in Syrian camps following death of Yusuf Zahab
2 years, 8 months ago

Advocates fear for women and children in Syrian camps following death of Yusuf Zahab

ABC  

Advocates for women and children stuck in Syrian detention camps say they have grave concerns two young boys could be taken off their mothers and sent to an adult prison "any day". Key points: Yusuf Zahab is believed to have been killed in a Syrian jail There are fears for other women and children detained Kurdish authorities in charge of …

France repatriates 51 children, mothers from Syrian camps
2 years, 8 months ago

France repatriates 51 children, mothers from Syrian camps

Al Jazeera  

The minors have been handed over to child protection services while the mothers will face judicial proceedings. France has repatriated 35 French children and 16 mothers from camps in the northeast of Syria that hold family members of suspected ISIL armed group fighters. The foreign affairs ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the minors were handed over to …

Australians being held in Syria are in conditions that 'meet the standard of torture', UN says
2 years, 11 months ago

Australians being held in Syria are in conditions that 'meet the standard of torture', UN says

ABC  

The United Nations has warned the Australian government that 46 Australian citizens, including 30 children, being held in squalid camps in north east Syria are enduring conditions akin to torture. Key points: A letter from the UN's Human Right's Council lists the names of Australian women and their children being held in camps in north-east Syria UN says some of …

Safeguarding concerns as lone Ukrainian children being ‘matched’ with strangers under hosting scheme
2 years, 11 months ago

Safeguarding concerns as lone Ukrainian children being ‘matched’ with strangers under hosting scheme

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Independent is raising money for the people of Ukraine – if you would …

Children in Syrian ISIL prison living in dire conditions: UN
3 years, 1 month ago

Children in Syrian ISIL prison living in dire conditions: UN

Al Jazeera  

Hundreds of kids held in the Hassakeh jail should never have been in detention because of ties with armed groups, UNICEF says. Hundreds of children held in a prison in Syria who witnessed a bloody 10-day battle between US-backed Kurdish fighters and ISIL are living in “incredibly precarious” conditions and they should not have been there in the first place, …

Watchdog says 100s of boys missing from Kurdish Syria prison
3 years, 1 month ago

Watchdog says 100s of boys missing from Kurdish Syria prison

Associated Press  

BEIRUT — Hundreds of boys are missing from a Syrian Kurdish prison that held members of the Islamic State group and their families, after the U.S.-backed Kurdish forces fought IS militants for 10 days to retake the facility, an international human rights group said Friday. President Joe Biden said al-Qurayshi had been responsible for the Syria prison assault, as well …

Australian teenager begs for help from inside Syrian prison at centre of dramatic battle between Islamic State and Kurdish fighters
3 years, 2 months ago

Australian teenager begs for help from inside Syrian prison at centre of dramatic battle between Islamic State and Kurdish fighters

ABC  

A 17-year-old Australian inside a Syrian prison at the centre of intense fighting between Islamic State militants and Kurdish-led forces has sent his family audio recordings in which he begs for help. Key points: The 17-year-old has reportedly been in Syria since 2015 It is believed he was taken there by his parents to live in Islamic State's so-called caliphate …

Britain promised to take in these Syrian families. Instead, they’re scavenging through bins to survive
3 years, 4 months ago

Britain promised to take in these Syrian families. Instead, they’re scavenging through bins to survive

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Sometimes I wish I had died in that airstrike which killed my husband instead of …

Abandoned in Syria: The British mother whose citizenship was stripped without warning
3 years, 4 months ago

Abandoned in Syria: The British mother whose citizenship was stripped without warning

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Dozens of people have been stripped of their British …

British citizens in Syria are not someone else’s problem – but our government seeks to abandon them
3 years, 4 months ago

British citizens in Syria are not someone else’s problem – but our government seeks to abandon them

The Independent  

The family of Sara, a British mother held in a detention camp in northeast Syria, only found out by chance that her citizenship had been stripped, over a year after it had happened. They say the wording of the bill is designed to inflict “maximum harm and trauma” on the person, their children and their families, as it would also …

More than 40 Australian children still languishing in Syrian detention camp
3 years, 5 months ago

More than 40 Australian children still languishing in Syrian detention camp

ABC  

Australian children left behind by Islamic State are facing indefinite detention in north-east Syria with little hope of being released. "I don't see how on earth you can keep 40,000 children in a camp in the middle of nowhere with no perspective, with nothing," he said. "Me or my family didn't choose to join ISIS, we were tricked by my …

Children ‘wasting away’ in dangerous Syrian camps, NGO says
3 years, 6 months ago

Children ‘wasting away’ in dangerous Syrian camps, NGO says

Al Jazeera  

Save the Children slams foreign governments for failing to repatriate their citizens from refugee camps in northeast Syria, where children face a host of threats. Beirut, Lebanon – Tens of thousands of children are “wasting away” amid widespread violence and threats in two refugee camps in northeast Syria, Save the Children says, and it is “more urgent than ever” that …

Dutch woman, three children repatriated from Syria IS camp
3 years, 9 months ago

Dutch woman, three children repatriated from Syria IS camp

Associated Press  

QAMISHLI, Syria — The Kurdish-led administration in Syria’s northeast handed over on Saturday to the Netherlands a Dutch woman, her two young sons, and a Dutch girl, who lived in a camp for families of alleged Islamic State militants. It was the second time Dutch nationals have been repatriated from camps in northeast Syria, where thousands of foreigners and Iraqis …

In Syria camp, forgotten children left to be molded by IS
3 years, 9 months ago

In Syria camp, forgotten children left to be molded by IS

Associated Press  

AL-HOL, Syria — At the sprawling al-Hol camp, children pass their days roaming the dirt roads, playing with mock swords and black banners in imitation of Islamic State group militants. “These children are ISIS’s first victims,” said Save the Children’s Syria Response Director Sonia Khush. During its nearly 5-year rule over much of Syria and Iraq, IS aimed to entrench …

Fire kills 3 children in Syrian camp housing IS families
4 years, 1 month ago

Fire kills 3 children in Syrian camp housing IS families

Associated Press  

A fire in a camp housing families of members of the Islamic State group killed three children and injured 15 others in northeast Syria, the U.N. children’s agency, UNICEF, said Sunday. UNICEF called for the safe reintegration and repatriation of all children in al-Hol Camp and across the northeast of Syria following the fire the day before. “Children in al-Hol …

Syrian war being ‘forgotten and ignored’ after 10 years of deadly conflict
4 years, 1 month ago

Syrian war being ‘forgotten and ignored’ after 10 years of deadly conflict

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Syrian civil war is …

Killings surge in Syria camp housing Islamic State families
4 years, 1 month ago

Killings surge in Syria camp housing Islamic State families

Associated Press  

BEIRUT — The deaths stacked up: a policeman shot dead with a pistol equipped with a silencer, a local official gunned down, his son wounded, an Iraqi man beheaded. In total, 20 men and women were killed last month in the sprawling camp in northeastern Syria housing families of the Islamic State group. The slayings in al-Hol camp — nearly …

Killings surge in Syria camp housing Islamic State families
4 years, 1 month ago

Killings surge in Syria camp housing Islamic State families

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In total, 20 men and women were killed last …

UN: Bring home kids from Syria with possible extremist links
4 years, 1 month ago

UN: Bring home kids from Syria with possible extremist links

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. counter-terrorism chief on Wednesday urged the repatriation of tens of thousands of women and children suspected of links to the Islamic State extremist group, warning that many are being radicalized in deteriorating detention camps in Syria and Iraq. He said Biden is committed to working with the international coalition that the U.S. established in 2014 …

UN urges countries to repatriate 27,000 children from Syria
4 years, 2 months ago

UN urges countries to repatriate 27,000 children from Syria

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Vladimir Voronkov told an informal meeting of the UN …

UN urges countries to repatriate 27,000 children from Syria camp
4 years, 2 months ago

UN urges countries to repatriate 27,000 children from Syria camp

Al Jazeera  

The United Nations counterterrorism chief urged countries to repatriate the 27,000 children stranded in a huge camp in northeastern Syria, many of them sons and daughters of ISIL fighters who once controlled large swathes of Iraq and Syria. Vladimir Voronkov told an informal meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday that “the horrific situation of the children in al-Hol …

Britain closes the door on unaccompanied child refugees
4 years, 2 months ago

Britain closes the door on unaccompanied child refugees

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “However, responsibility for asylum seekers and refugees in EU member states lies with the …

Dozens of British children held in Syrian camps amid threat of Isis prison breaks, report says
4 years, 5 months ago

Dozens of British children held in Syrian camps amid threat of Isis prison breaks, report says

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Children are not ‘ticking time bombs’, but they could become ones if we do …

France brings home 10 children of ISIL fighters from Syria
4 years, 9 months ago

France brings home 10 children of ISIL fighters from Syria

Al Jazeera  

About 12,000 foreigners – 4,000 women and 8,000 children – are being held at three camps in northeastern Syria. France brought home 10 French children of ISIL fighters from a refugee camp in Syria, the latest in a piecemeal repatriation process since the armed group was expelled from its Syrian base in March 2019. “France has carried out the return …

‘Unabated violation’: Report highlights Syria war’s child victims
5 years, 2 months ago

‘Unabated violation’: Report highlights Syria war’s child victims

Al Jazeera  

In Syria‘s civil war, girls as young as nine have been raped and forced into sexual slavery. “After eight years of conflict, children in Syria have experienced unabated violations of their rights: they continue to be killed, maimed, injured and orphaned, bearing the brunt of violence perpetrated by warring parties,” the report said. “Urgent efforts are required by the Syrian …

Netherlands does not have to help kids trapped in Syria: Appellate Court
5 years, 4 months ago

Netherlands does not have to help kids trapped in Syria: Appellate Court

NL Times  

The Netherlands will not have to retrieve children of Dutch citizens awaiting their fates in Syrian detention and displacement camps, the kids of Dutch women who left the Netherlands to enter conflict zones in Syria and Iraq. Attorneys for the Dutch government argued that children cannot be brought to the Netherlands on their own for fear of causing greater problems …

Court orders Netherlands to bring back kids, but not mothers, stuck in Syria
5 years, 4 months ago

Court orders Netherlands to bring back kids, but not mothers, stuck in Syria

NL Times  

A court in Den Haag ordered the Netherlands to quickly bring 56 children of Dutch parents back to the country from Syrian detention and displacement camps. Because the mothers themselves are alleged to have voluntarily traveled to ISIS-held territory either to join the Islamic State or to be with partners who participate as enemy combatants, the court did not mandate …

More than 60 British children trapped in war-torn north Syria, reveals charity
5 years, 5 months ago

More than 60 British children trapped in war-torn north Syria, reveals charity

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The international rights group urged the UK government to …

Syria: Nearly 800 ‘Isis-affiliated women and children escape from camp’
5 years, 5 months ago

Syria: Nearly 800 ‘Isis-affiliated women and children escape from camp’

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Nearly 800 women and children …

Orphaned in Syria’s civil war, how a refugee boy defied the odds to study in the UK
5 years, 6 months ago

Orphaned in Syria’s civil war, how a refugee boy defied the odds to study in the UK

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “She wrote the name of it on a piece …

Aid program ready for orphans, 2 and 4, returning from ISIS war zone
5 years, 9 months ago

Aid program ready for orphans, 2 and 4, returning from ISIS war zone

NL Times  

An extensive aid program is ready for the two Dutch orphans, aged 2 and 4 years, who were brought back to the Netherlands from a refugee camp in Syria, radicalization expert Annebregt Dijkman said to newspaper AD. While the government previously said that it will not actively work on bringing Dutch rebel fighters in the Syrian civil war and their …

UN envoy begs Netherlands to bring back kids from Syria, Iraq
5 years, 10 months ago

UN envoy begs Netherlands to bring back kids from Syria, Iraq

NL Times  

The Netherlands must "show grace and mercy" and bring back the children of Dutch jihadists in Iraq and Syria as quickly as possible, the special UN envoy for Children in Armed Conflicts, Virginia Gamba, said during a visit to The Hague on Thursday. According to Gamba, an Argentine security and disarmament expert, the Dutch stance on whether or not to …

Freed From ISIS, Yazidi Mothers Face Wrenching Choice: Abandon Kids Or Never Go Home
5 years, 10 months ago

Freed From ISIS, Yazidi Mothers Face Wrenching Choice: Abandon Kids Or Never Go Home

NPR  

Freed From ISIS, Yazidi Mothers Face Wrenching Choice: Abandon Kids Or Never Go Home Enlarge this image toggle caption Jane Arraf/NPR Jane Arraf/NPR It's the night before a group of Yazidi women and children freed from ISIS in Syria cross the border home to Iraq. Enlarge this image toggle caption Jane Arraf/NPR Jane Arraf/NPR "All the mothers cry because they …

These innocent American children were taken to Syria by their Isis sympathiser mother — now it's time to bring them home
6 years ago

These innocent American children were taken to Syria by their Isis sympathiser mother — now it's time to bring them home

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. While there are no doubt many …

UK Government to take in 130 more refugee children under Dubs following 'administrative error'
7 years, 11 months ago

UK Government to take in 130 more refugee children under Dubs following 'administrative error'

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “In my Written Ministerial Statement of 8 February 2017 I announced that, following consultation …

Unicef urges UK government to speed up transfer of unaccompanied child refugees as Calais camp closes
8 years ago

Unicef urges UK government to speed up transfer of unaccompanied child refugees as Calais camp closes

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Unicef has called on the UK government to allow unaccompanied …

If we turn our backs on lone Syrian child refugees, British values are truly dead
8 years ago

If we turn our backs on lone Syrian child refugees, British values are truly dead

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Government did little to challenge …

Government backtracks on pledge to take child refugees
8 years ago

Government backtracks on pledge to take child refugees

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The statement from Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill said local …

The refugee children who were moved out of the Calais Jungle and into French homes are now turning back to Calais
8 years, 3 months ago

The refugee children who were moved out of the Calais Jungle and into French homes are now turning back to Calais

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Since the eviction of the Calais …

Don't tweet your concern for Omran Daqneesh and forget the Syrian children moving to the UK today
8 years, 5 months ago

Don't tweet your concern for Omran Daqneesh and forget the Syrian children moving to the UK today

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy We’re all …

Unicef warns child refugees are abused due to British government inaction
8 years, 6 months ago

Unicef warns child refugees are abused due to British government inaction

Daily Mail  

Delays in bringing child refugees to Britain is leading them to risk abuse or even death at the hands of people smugglers, a major report warns today. Unicef warned children held at the Jungle camp outside Calais are at greater risk of being abused by people smuggling gangs and urged the British government to allow them to join family members …

Peer who came to Britain as a refugee says Government is dragging its feet on helping Syrian children
8 years, 7 months ago

Peer who came to Britain as a refugee says Government is dragging its feet on helping Syrian children

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Government has been accused of “dragging its feet” on a …

Refugee crisis: UK on course to fail pledge to resettle 20,000 Syrians amid 'unacceptable' asylum decisions
8 years, 8 months ago

Refugee crisis: UK on course to fail pledge to resettle 20,000 Syrians amid 'unacceptable' asylum decisions

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Asylum seekers in UK struggle to build new lives “We remain concerned about the …

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