October 21, 2019 — The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is encouraged by the news that the UK government is considering steps to bring home orphans and unaccompanied minors who have British nationality from camps in northeast Syria. This is a positive step in the right direction, but insufficient for the UK to fulfil its legal obligations to its citizens.
Misty Buswell, Middle East Policy Director for the International Rescue Committee said:
“The pause in hostilities agreed by the US and Turkey provides a window of opportunity for the UK Government. It should now fulfil its responsibilities to foreign nationals by expediting repatriation processes of all UK children and their families currently in northeast Syria – something that many other European countries have already done with their own citizens.
“The government’s position, that unaccompanied minors, including orphans and vulnerable adolescent girls, should be expected to reach out to consular services themselves, or rely on others to do so on their behalf, is simply not viable. The government knows where its citizens are and should proactively reach out to them; a number of aid agencies on the ground are ready and waiting to assist. For the many scared and vulnerable children stranded in the region, it is a matter of life or death, and the notion that they should just pick up the phone to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London is naïve. The government must demonstrate that it understands the reality of life for all children living in the camps in northeast Syria, and equally, it must seek to bring them all - whether they are unaccompanied or not - back home.
“The situation on the ground in northeast Syria is moving at such a pace that the UK government cannot afford to stall on this issue. There is a small amount of time in the short term, but long term access is far from assured. Failure to provide repatriation support leaves UK citizens vulnerable to further displacement and violence.
“Above all we urge policy makers to remember that we are talking about children, to whom the state owes not just legal protections, but a moral duty of care. The Geneva Conventions and Convention on the Rights of the Child require that all children be treated equally in situations of war. The law cannot be selectively implemented based on specific categories of children, or beliefs about the affiliation of their parents to ISIS. Separating children from families or support networks does little to advance and protect the best interests of children.
“Finally, we must all recognise that repatriation forms a first step in delivering much needed support to those that return from Syria. Due legal process is essential in cases where there is evidence that crimes have been committed. However, for children and families who have survived the brutality of ISIS, experienced the horrors of war, and the reality of displacement, the government must ensure there is adequate provision of appropriate reintegration support, and counselling, to give citizens the best chance of a successful future in the UK.”
ENDS