Families of Moroccan Women and Children Held in Syria Demand Government Action for Repatriation
Families of Moroccan women who have been held captive for
years in the al-Hol camp in northern Syria, under the authority of the
self-administration of northern and eastern Syria "QSD," have renewed
their calls for the Moroccan government to work towards repatriating them. The
"National Coordination of Families of Detainees and Hostages in Syria and
Iraq" has held the Moroccan government responsible for the dire conditions
experienced by these women and their children, resulting from what it describes
as its failure to resolve the issue of detainees and hostages.
In a statement, the Coordination warned of the danger of
Moroccan children becoming saturated with ISIS ideology inside the camp. The
Coordination estimated that there were 554 Moroccan women with their children
in the al-Hol camp. Recent statistics from the National Coordination of
Families of Detainees and Hostages in Syria and Iraq revealed that there were
132 men, 101 women, 290 children with their mothers, and 31 orphaned children,
all of whom hold Moroccan citizenship, and are distributed between the al-Hol
camp and the prisons under the self-administration.
The Coordination confirmed that the majority of the women
travelled with their husbands and not with the intention of participating in combat.
According to "Bassam S," one of the workers at
the al-Hol camp, the self-administration has been trying to get rid of the
Moroccan women for years due to the crises they face on a daily basis, and
their desire to return to their country. However, the Moroccan government
refuses to repatriate them out of fear of terrorism spreading.
He confirmed in a statement to "The Reference" that
the QSD constantly separates children from their mothers to protect them from
extremist ideology, especially girls, whom mothers forcibly marry upon reaching
puberty. This is extremely dangerous, particularly since they are minors.
Moroccan lawyer Ghofran Ali says that ISIS women want to
return to Morocco and be tried, as this could at least ensure greater safety
for their lives. He confirmed in a statement to "The Reference" that
ultimately cases will be filed against the Moroccan government for
procrastinating on repatriating them to the country.
In 2020, the Moroccan Parliament established a
fact-finding committee to investigate the conditions of those stranded in Syria
and Iraq.
