‘ISIS brides’ face arrest on return to Australia
Women and children linked to the Islamic State have been warned they will face major obstacles to reintegrating into Australian society when they return to the country.
The group will arrive in Sydney and Melbourne on Thursday after years spent in a Syrian refugee camp.
Some women traveling to the Middle East with partners who want to fight on the side of ISIS will be arrested on arrival, federal police said.
But most children face an uncertain future; Many grew up in poor conditions where violence and radical ideologies were commonplace.
Four women and nine children had booked tickets from Damascus to Australia, the government confirmed on Wednesday.
They are the last group of so-called “ISIS brides” to return following the collapse of the Islamic caliphate in 2019.
While some women travel willingly to support partners who want to fight for the Islamic State, advocates for the group say others are kidnapped or travel to the Middle East simply to keep their families together.
Leading extremism researcher Michele Grossman told AAP that all of the children in the group of 13 returning home were likely to need help to integrate into Australian society after years in Syrian camps, while others may need more intensive counter-radicalism support.
“This will largely depend on the situation,” the Deakin University professor said.
“We cannot assume that all children will respond equally to the brainwashing activities that we know are being carried out in these camps.”
Prof Grossman said support from the community would be crucial to helping them recover from years of trauma.
“Communities need to be willing to be part of the picture, with appropriate support, appropriate information and transparency,” he said.
“If society is going to turn them away and refuse to have any relationship with them… then what hope do you give them and what opportunities do you offer them?”
One woman has been banned from entering Australia on national security grounds and the opposition has renewed its call for the entire group to be blocked.
“These are people who went not on holiday, but to support a terrorist organization and got caught up in some misdemeanors,” opposition home affairs spokesman Jonno Duniam told reporters in Hobart.
“Serious crimes pose serious risks to our society.”
But Home Secretary Tony Burke said the government’s ability to prevent citizens returning to their home countries was limited.
Violent extremism expert Peta Lowe told AAP that although every child was different, most would have little memory of what Australia was like.
Ms Lowe, who was previously director of countering violent extremism at Youth Justice NSW, said some children may have more complex needs but others may just need a safe environment to reintegrate.
“There may not be any conversation about religion or political beliefs,” he said.
“It may be among the very normal things we do for children when they come out of risky situations.”
Australia’s Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national news channel and has been providing accurate, reliable and fast-paced news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We inform Australia.
