🔗 Share this article

Two Australian women and four children have managed to break out of a Syrian detention camp and made their own way back to Victoria, as demands increase on the government of Australia to repatriate its nationals.

The Escape Journey

The two women and four children – whose names and ages are not being disclosed – escaped from the notorious Al-Hol detention camp in northeastern Syria, travelling more than 500km to enter Lebanon, where they secured Australian documents in the capital of Lebanon.

They underwent identity and security screenings in Beirut, before travelling to Australia by a commercial flight last week.

Australian Nationals Held in Syria

There are approximately forty Australian nationals – most of them children – held in detention camps in north Syria. They are the family members of slain or jailed IS fighters.

Roughly thirty-four Australians – fourteen women and twenty children – have been held in the Roj camp near the border with Turkey, largely since 2019. Several youngsters were born in the camp, and have never experienced life beyond its confines. A smaller number of Australians are understood to have been detained at Al-Hol closer to Iraq.

Not a single detainee has, currently, been charged with a crime or faces a warrant for arrest.

Risks of Independent Escape

Sources with knowledge say the unofficial and improvised breakout to Beirut endangered the children and that the women had been arrested in Lebanon when attempting to cross the frontier. These observers contend that government sponsored and controlled repatriations are much more secure, allowing for support services to be put in place for those returning, and for security services in Australia to be prepared for the returns.

Camp Conditions

Conditions in the Syrian camps are dire, with extensive malnutrition, disease and violent incidents. A recently published analysis described a “volatile security” situation and a “public health crisis”.

“Services within the displaced persons camps are inadequate and overwhelmed and housing insufficient, with flooding and fires making life hazardous. Displaced youth experience complex, severe trauma and psychological issues and psychological treatment is inadequate. Many children in the camp have no family, making them especially at risk to radicalisation and recruitment.”

Human rights organizations describe conditions in the camps as “extremely dangerous”. The Al-Hol facility, holding 30,000 people – over fifty percent being minors – is regarded as particularly chaotic and violent.

Official Return Operations

Over an extended period, the federal government has been under growing demands from families, lawyers, and advocacy groups to repatriate its citizens. The authorities have conducted two limited repatriations: in 2019, eight children without parents, including a pregnant teenager, were repatriated to NSW, and in October 2022, four women and 13 children were brought back, also to New South Wales.

A legal action in federal court to force the authorities to return its citizens was unsuccessful, with the judges ruling there was no legal obligation on the government.

However, the judicial panel did find: “if the commonwealth has the political will to bring the … women and children back to Australia, on the evidence before the court, it would be a relatively straightforward exercise”.

Global Perspective

The US, which provides most security funding across north-east Syria, urges nations such as Australia to take their citizens back, and is even providing assistance to repatriate third-country nationals.

A congressional report argued: “the sole sustainable answer to the severe humanitarian and security problems in the detention facilities and DP camps is returning people to their home countries. This explains why the US urges all countries to bring back their citizens from north-east Syria.”

Official Statements

An official representative said Syria was becoming “increasingly unstable”.

“The government is not offering help and is not conducting repatriations in Syrian displaced persons camps.

“If any of those people find their own way to return, our law enforcement bodies are satisfied that they are prepared and will be able to ensure public security.”

The spokesperson said national authorities had “kept these people under observation for an extended period”.

“We have confidence in our agencies.

“Our travel warnings still recommend citizens avoid travel to the country due to the hazardous conditions and risk of violence.”

State Police Preparedness

A police representative said authorities knew nationals in Syrian facilities may look to return home.

“Where required, Victoria Police works closely with state and federal agencies to assist with the reintegration of women and children who come back to the state from Syrian detention centers.”