Two Australian women and four children have managed to break out of a detention facility in Syria and made their own way back to Victoria, while demands increase on the Australian government to bring back its nationals.
The Escape Journey
This group of two adults and four minors – whose names and ages are not being disclosed – escaped from the infamous Al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria, covering over 500 kilometers to enter Lebanon, where they were able to obtain Australian documents in the capital of Lebanon.
They were subjected to identification and security checks in the Lebanese capital, before travelling to Australia by a regular airline recently.
Australians in Syrian Camps
There are about 40 Australians – most of them children – held in detention camps in north Syria. They are the wives, widows and children of deceased or imprisoned IS fighters.
About 34 Australians – fourteen women and twenty children – have been detained at the Roj facility near the border with Turkey, largely since 2019. Several youngsters were born in the camp, and have never experienced life beyond its confines. A fewer of Australians are understood to have been held in the Al-Hol detention camp nearer to Iraq.
None of those in the camps has, at this point, been faced criminal charges or is subject to an arrest warrant.
Risks of Independent Escape
Informed sources say the unofficial and improvised breakout to Beirut put the children at risk and that the females were detained in the country when attempting to cross the frontier. These sources argue that government sponsored and controlled repatriations are much more secure, allowing for assistance programs to be established for those returning, and for security services in the country to be prepared for the returns.
Situation in the Camps
The situation in Syrian detention facilities are dire, with widespread hunger, illness and outbreaks of violence. A recently published analysis described a “volatile security” situation and a “public health crisis”.
“Services within the displaced persons camps are limited and overstretched and housing insufficient, with natural disasters making life dangerous. Young detainees experience complex, severe trauma and psychological issues and psychological treatment is inadequate. Many children in the camp have no relatives, making them particularly vulnerable to extremist influence.”
Human rights organizations describe conditions in the camps as “life-threatening”. Al-Hol camp, housing thirty thousand individuals – over fifty percent being minors – is regarded as particularly chaotic and violent.
Official Return Operations
For years, the national government has been under increasing pressure from relatives, legal representatives, and activist organizations to bring back its nationals. The government has undertaken two limited repatriations: in 2019, eight orphaned children, including a expectant teen, were repatriated to NSW, and in late 2022, four women and 13 children were brought back, also to New South Wales.
A federal court challenge to compel the government to return its citizens was unsuccessful, with the court finding there was no statutory requirement on the government.
However, the judicial panel did find: “if the commonwealth has the political will to bring the … women and children back to Australia, on the evidence before the court, it would be a fairly simple process”.
International Context
The United States, which funds the bulk of security operations across northeastern Syria, wants countries like Australia to repatriate their nationals, and is even providing assistance to repatriate third-country nationals.
A report to Congress argued: “the sole sustainable answer to the severe humanitarian and security problems in the detention centers and displaced persons camps is returning people to their home countries. That is why the United States encourages all countries to repatriate their nationals from north-east Syria.”
Government Response
An official representative said the country was becoming “more volatile”.
“The government is not providing assistance and is not repatriating individuals in Syrian displaced persons camps.
“Should any individuals find their own way to return, our security agencies are confident in their readiness and will be able to act in the interests of community safety.”
The representative said national authorities had “kept these people under observation for an extended period”.
“We have confidence in our agencies.
“Our travel advice continues to advise citizens avoid travel to the country due to the hazardous conditions and risk of violence.”
State Police Preparedness
A police representative said authorities knew nationals in Syrian facilities may attempt to come back.
“When necessary, local police works closely with local and national authorities to assist with the reintegration of women and children who return to Victoria from camps in Syria.”
