THE boss of a children’s charity has hit out at the UK Government for leaving young British boys and girls to languish in a conflict zone.
Rob Williams, chief executive of War Child, said Westminster was “staining its human rights record” by refusing to help children at risk of sexual and physical violence in a squalid detention camp in north-east Syria.
Most of the British citizens are under 10-years-old in the Al-Hol Camp, according to War Child, and conditions are rapidly deteriorating with inadequate access to food, shelter, water and medical care.
Williams said the UK’s refusal to help was in “stark contrast” to the action taken by 38 other countries, including France, Spain, Australia, Canada, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands who have repatriated most of their nationals at the camp.
Instead of repatriation, the UK has chosen instead to “outsource” its responsibilities according to Williams, by contributing significant funding to the construction of detention facilities instead.
The UN has also called on the UK to “undertake effective and urgent measures” to repatriate British children from Syrian detention camps.
A report by the UN’s Committee on the Rights of the Child found they posed “an imminent risk of irreparable harm to the children’s lives, their physical and mental integrity and their development”.
The women and children in Al-Hol were once associated with the Daesh terror group but War Child said the Tory government’s pretext of protecting Britain from potential security threats presented by returning women and children was “inexplicable”.
“The fact remains that the criminalisation and detention of children without trial will do nothing to address the threat posed by armed groups and serves only to increase marginalisation and resentment,” said Williams.
“The UK’s failure to repatriate British families detained in north-east Syria is a stain on its human rights record, as well as the country’s responsibility to protect all its citizens. Through inaction, the UK not only undermines its standing among allies but is also risking its national and regional security.”
Williams said that of the 25 British families in Al-Hol, most were young children.
“For a government that’s led global campaigns to end sexual violence in conflict and tackle human trafficking, the decision to leave British children languishing in a conflict zone is shocking,” he said.
“The detention of these families is arbitrary, unlawful and contrary to the UK’s human rights obligations. Not one individual at Al-Hol has yet been charged with a crime, as the families are solely being held for their presumed – yet unproven – links to ISIS.”
To date, the UK has repatriated only 10 British orphans or unaccompanied children.
Williams said that by prioritising the return of certain categories of children, the Government was perpetuating “harmful distinctions”.
“The UK is also failing to address the circumstances of young British adults who were exploited, groomed, trafficked and coerced by ISIS, as well as those who were recruited as children,” he said.
Of particular concern is the plight of young boys who are being arbitrarily detained in prison where Williams said they were at heightened risk of sexual abuse and have little to no contact with the outside world.
“Simply put, the time for justice and compassion to prevail over indifference and neglect is now,” he said.
War Child’s stance is being backed by Reprieve, Human Rights Watch and Child Rights International Network as well as celebrities like Gillian Anderson, Stanley Tucci and Vanessa Kirby.
Research found that 53% of British adults surveyed said they would support the UK Government acting to bring home British families, compared to only 13% who would oppose it.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: “Where we become aware of British unaccompanied or orphaned children in Syria, we will work to facilitate their return, subject to national security considerations and identity and nationality checks.”
