By Robin Omar
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Children of the Islamic State (ISIS) militants pose a future threat to the world in general and to Northeast Syria in particular. Camps are considered conducive environments for the creation of a new ISIS generation. Analysts believe ISIS would continue carrying out retaliatory acts, which emphasizes the need for the establishment of rehabilitation centers in the region, or their repatriation to their home countries.
Zana Omar, a journalist and expert on terrorism based in the city of Qamishli, emphasizes the urgency of establishing more rehabilitation centers in northeastern Syria, compatible with the numbers of children in camps like Hawl and Roj because the two rehabilitation centers – Houri and Orkesh – are not sufficient.
Houri center, established four years ago in the town of Tel Ma’rouf, southeast of the city Qamishli in northeastern Syria, is the first center designated for the rehabilitation of ISIS children and their reintegration in the community. The center accommodates children aged 12-18.
Meanwhile, Orkesh center, some 5 km to the southwest of Qamishli, opened its doors late last year. It is home to upwards of 50 children, particularly those of foreign women.
Extremist goals
Omar stressed the need to open centers to speed up the rehabilitation of ISIS children. “ISIS women have adopted an extremist ideology and have made all efforts to pass it down to their children,” he said.
Every day passes by without rehabilitating these children, the possibility of those children to be jihadists in the future increases. They might fight for ideological objectives, not to mention the desire to avenge their fathers that will amplify their extremism and brutality, he added.
European countries invoke numerous concerns that prevent them from repatriating their nationals from the Hawl and Roj camps in northeastern Syria, most notably for security, political, and legal reasons. Some reasons are related to their perception of this issue, although international covenants and the European Union stipulate that States should assume their responsibility to repatriate their nationals.
Some countries have adopted the policy of separating children from their mothers inside the camps or even upon repatriation to their home countries. However, international covenants prohibit this act, as outlined in Article 9 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The article states that children must not be separated from their parents against their will, except when competent authorities determine that such separation is necessary for the best interests of the children.
Precautionary measure
Khaled Ibrahim, an official at the Foreign Relations Department of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), told North Press that the AANES has transferred some children to specialized rehabilitation centers as a precautionary measure to remove them from the extremist and dangerous environment in the camps.
However, these centers do not fulfill the desired purpose due to lack of funding and experience. They require specialized long-term programs and strategic plans for the rehabilitation of both women and children, he added.
Rehabilitation is an extremely challenging and truly costly process, which has exhausted AANES’ resources in terms of security, funding, and human rights expertise, according to Ibrahim.
The AANES has presented numerous projects to come up with effective, clear, and fundamental solutions to the issue of children and women in camps. It constantly seeks solutions for the post-ISIS phase, which is considered as important as fighting the group militarily, Ibrahim said.
Just as the US-led Global Coalition was established to fight ISIS militarily, an international and regional coalition can be established on the civil or humanitarian level to find effective solutions for this sensitive and dangerous issue, he pointed out.