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Two Australian women and four children have successfully escaped a Syrian detention camp and made their own way back to Victoria, while pressure mounts on the government of Australia to repatriate its citizens.

Their Route to Freedom

The two women and four children – with identities kept confidential – escaped from the notorious Al-Hol camp in north-east Syria, covering over 500 kilometers to cross the Lebanese border, where they secured official papers from Australia in Beirut.

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

Australian Nationals Held in Syria

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

About 34 Australians – 14 women and 20 children – have been detained at the Roj facility near the border with Turkey, largely since 2019. Several youngsters were born within the camp, and know no life outside it. A fewer of Australian citizens are understood to have been detained at Al-Hol closer to Iraq.

None of those in the camps has, currently, been charged with a crime or faces a warrant for arrest.

Dangers of Self-Repatriation

Sources with knowledge say the informal and ad hoc escape to Lebanon put the children at risk and that the females were detained in Lebanon when attempting to cross the frontier. These sources argue 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 the country to be prepared for the returns.

Situation in the Camps

The situation in Syrian detention facilities are dire, with widespread hunger, disease and outbreaks of violence. A recent report described a “volatile security” situation and a “health emergency”.

“Facilities in the camps are limited and overstretched and housing insufficient, with natural disasters making life dangerous. Displaced youth experience serious psychological trauma and psychological issues and mental health care is insufficient. Many children in the camp have no family, making them especially at risk to radicalisation and recruitment.”

Advocacy groups describe conditions in the camps as “life-threatening”. The Al-Hol facility, housing thirty thousand individuals – more than half of them children – 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 bring back its nationals. The authorities have conducted two small-scale return operations: in 2019, eight children without parents, including a expectant teen, were repatriated to NSW, and in late 2022, four females and thirteen children were brought back, also to New South Wales.

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

However, the full bench of the court 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 fairly simple process”.

Global Perspective

The US, which provides most security funding across north-east Syria, wants countries like Australia to repatriate their nationals, and is even providing assistance to return foreign citizens.

A report to Congress argued: “the sole sustainable answer to the acute humanitarian and security challenges in the detention centers and displaced persons camps is returning people to their home countries. This explains why the United States encourages all countries to repatriate their nationals from north-east Syria.”

Official Statements

An official representative said the country was becoming “more volatile”.

“The government is not providing assistance and is not conducting repatriations in camps in Syria.

“If any of those people manage to return independently, our security agencies are confident in their readiness and will be able to act in the interests of community safety.”

The spokesperson said Australian agencies had “been monitoring these individuals for some time”.

“We trust our institutions.

“Our travel warnings continues to advise citizens avoid travel to Syria due to the dangerous security situation and threat of armed conflict.”

State Police Preparedness

A police representative said police were aware Australian citizens in Syrian camps may attempt to come back.

“Where required, local police collaborates with local and national authorities to assist with the reintegration of females and minors who return to Victoria from camps in Syria.”