North Press holds session on reintegrating Hawl Camp returnees

The “She is Strong” discussion session, which was organized by North Press on Jan. 24, focused on the reintegration of the ISIS-linked women released from Hawl camp, northeastern Syria – North Press
The “She is Strong” discussion session, which was organized by North Press on Jan. 24, focused on the reintegration of the ISIS-linked women released from Hawl camp, northeastern Syria – North Press

RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – The Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press organized on Wednesday a focus discussion group session in the city of Raqqa, northern Syria. The session included human rights activists, and women released from Hawl camp. It discussed their reintegration into their respective communities and the challenges they face.

The session, titled ‘She is Strong’, featured the participation of 24 people from Raqqa, and 18 from Deir ez-Zor via video call. The participants included women who had been released from Hawl Camp as well as people from the Social Care Office in Raqqa.

Zana al-Ali, the project’s coordinator, stated that the discussion came after three sessions were held in Raqqa and three in Deir ez-Zor.

During the session, attendees raised concerns about lost identification documents and limited job opportunities for Hawl Camp returnees, as well as the registration of children born to Syrian mothers and foreign fathers.

Al-Ali emphasized that the issue of returnees and their integration into the local community requires time and international efforts, given the large number of Syrians still residing in the camp.

Ibrahim Madour, a capacity-building trainer and facilitator of the sessions, said that men and women attended the session, unlike previous ones. He stated that the dialogue was constructive, especially at a time “we need dialogue.”

He emphasized the importance of conducting more dialogue-based sessions that openly address the genuine societal issues faced by different communities, with a particular focus on the challenges encountered by Hawl Camp returnees.

This initiative aims to enhance social cohesion and counter violent extremism by integrating the returnees into their communities.

By Ahmad Othman