Does any one want to think about the children of the caliphate? They are over 2500 and they are adrift – 02/03/2019

They are the survivors of some of the most tragic circumstances that can happen to a human being: they were abandoned, exposed to fear, exploited and saw atrocities.

They are the "children of the caliphate" and nobody wants to take care of them.

After living on the territory of the Islamic State (ISIS), they face an uncertain future ahead of the final defeat of the jihadist group. A problem that the world does not seem ready to face yet.

They are more than 2500 children at least 30 nationalities and wait in 3 overcrowded camps in northwestern Syria.

Their reincorporation into society depends, in many cases, on the help of their countries of origin.

─The international community must act now before it's too late Sonia Khush, director of emergency in Syria of the NGO Save the Children ("Save the Children").

The entity looks after the children and expects their numbers to increase, and many, when the extremists will definitively lose control of their territory.

In recent days, thousands of people have abandoned the last stronghold of the caliphate in Al Baguz. Most of them are relatives of fighters who surrendered to the Syrian Democratic Forces (FSD), ready to carry out the final badault.

Among them are hundreds of children: family members of jihadists, minors abducted by ISIS and living in the self-appointed caliphate.

Several arrive in the refugee camps of desperate conditions for months of deprivation of medical care and food.

David del Campo, Director of Save the Children's International Programs, denounces the fact that these minors "suffer the same sanctions" as terrorists for the simple fact of living on their territory.

"All your rights," he says. They are not children of ISIS: they are simply children.

There is Afghanistan, Albania, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, the United States. China, Denmark, Egypt, France, Georgia, Iraq and Germany. Also from Indonesia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Macedonia, Malaysia, Morocco, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Portugal, Russia , South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine United States, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

According to Save the Children, although some of these countries have been interested, the majority (including several Europeans) has not yet taken action.

Only Russia has repatriated a small group of miners, in full discussion on who should judge jihadists detained.

While Kurdish militiamen in Syria complain of being overwhelmed by more than 5,000 inmates, the original countries are reluctant to take the reins before. the fear of not being able to prove their crimes.

The ultimate legal responsibility has its places of origin:

"They have to protect them, no matter who their parents are," said Arguye Del Campo. A child is a child in all circumstances.

The UN also urges these countries to badume their responsibilities towards the "children of the caliphate", including dozens they are alone.

Unicef ​​stresses that "they must be repatriated back to their country of origin as soon as possible, according to procedures that take into account in the first place the best interests of the country." child and through cooperation between states ".

And encourages "to design and implement strategies and programs for the return of children" in order to achieve "its rehabilitation and social reintegration, without stigma or discrimination"

International organizations agree that it is a case very different from that of the Islamic State fighters: "The simplest is to treat them as terrorists, but they should not be blamed for anything. "

Difficult survival

Separated from the rest of the population in camps controlled by Kurdish militia, children have less access to help and services, says Save the Children, present in the 3 shelters.

Al Hol is the largest, with more than 40,000 people; Ain Issa reaches 12,000 people and Roj about 1,500.

Most boys live with their mothers, many of whom have been recruited by jihadists and now have babies a few days to a few weeks old.

Those who are alone receive the attention of temporary caregivers.

The saturation of the fields and one of the harshest winters of recent years have made desperate the situation of its inhabitants: the UN said that More than 60 children have died, most of them are cold, in January and February.

─ The situation in Al Hol is heartbreaking. Children die of hypothermia when their families are fleeing to safe areas, "said Elizabeth Hoff, representative of the World Health Organization in Syria.

Specialized help, as well as the health and nutrition services that children need in a safe and healthy environment, are not currently possible in northwestern Syria. It's a too volatile area, according to Khush.

Children 12 years old retire at the age of 4: they urinate, they do not sleep at night, they have nightmares and are anxious, says a report from Save the Children.

85% of children in Iraq, Syria and Yemen suffer from a psychological disorderin many serious cases.

"They saw their parents, friends and neighbors die or witnessed the destruction of their homes or schools," Del Campo said, adding that in northern Syria, 20 psychiatrists available for 4.5 million children.

The situation is even more dramatic for Yazidi children: children trained to kill and girls turned into bad slaves: "They saw the worst side of the violence: they injected extreme hatred and terrifying fear."

Some 600 Yazidi children abducted by the Islamic State are still missing, confirmed the German psychologist Jan Ilhan Kizilhan, a university professor in Baden-Wuerttemberg (Germany) and Duhok (Iraq), who handled more 1,400 bad slave girls for jihadists.

His more than 20 years working with people traumatized in war zones allow him to say that the "children of the caliphate" suffer from extraordinary psychological problems.

They are the result of individual trauma, collective migration and subsequent migration, a combination that needs to go further: "new concepts of integrated care".

Nevertheless, Kizilhan is optimistic and believes that "with good long-term support they can have a "normal" life and cope with the trauma"

For this, they must "go to school" and return to normal, always with "a stability and a safe place as a basis of treatment".

Save the Children has had successful programs in Southern Sudan, Congo and Myanmar and is currently trying to reach Jordan and Lebanon.

It's a slow and expensive road, but extremely comforting, Define Del Campo.

In the 21st century, information, new technologies and globalization seem to be sufficient tools to answer the big question: what are we doing with the "children of the caliphate"?

Unicef ​​is clear: "They come from the most vulnerable children in the world and they should receive all the attention and services available. "

By Marta Rullán. EFE Agency. AEZ