By Maria Millers
“Children are human beings to whom respect is due, superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future” (Maria Montessori).
The plight of a group of Australian women with young children trapped in the horrors of the Al Roz camp in Northern Syria and desperately wishing to return to Australia has come up against the political realities being played out domestically.
These women who joined or lived under the so called Islamic State were hardly more than children themselves when sometimes tricked or coerced into marriages. Poet Warsan Shire offers a counter narrative to the idea of choice for young women drawn into conflict:
“They asked her how did you get here
and she said, I walked.”
After the group’s territorial defeat in places like Syria and Iraq, thousands of women and children ended up in detention camps such as Al-Hol and Al Roj.
In Refugee Blues, W.H. Auden indicts nations that claim humanitarian values but enforce exclusionary borders. The violence does not end when the war does – it continues bureaucratically.
“There’s no place for us, my dear, yet there’s no place to go.”
These are places where the unforgiving landscape is chaotic and dangerous and where more disorder is edging closer to the camp where the women and children are living.
All 34 of them are Australian citizens and, with the exception of one woman, not prevented by a temporary exclusion order from returning, are entitled by law to come home. This means they can request passports – passports that, very recently, after years of obfuscation and excuses, the government has finally issued to them.
However, the Prime Minister has made it clear that beyond this there will be no further assistance from the Australian Government to bring the women and their children safely home.
Strangely, his initial seemingly heartless response was to invoke an idiom his mother would have used: “You made your bed and now you have to lie in it,” meaning you have to live with the consequences of your actions. But as pointed out often these women had little agency in what happened to them. And perhaps his mother would have reminded him also that in the New Testament there are seven references where Jesus advocates for protecting children.
As well under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, children cannot be punished for the crimes or choices of their parents. Every child has the right to nationality and the ‘best interests of the child’ must guide decisions. Many of the children, most of them very young, were born there, and none are responsible for the circumstances they’re in.
What people have also forgotten is that since the ISIS group was toppled in 2019 we have conducted two successful repatriations. The Morrison government brought back eight orphaned children in June 2019, while the Albanese government repatriated four women and 13 children in October 2022.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil was then proud of what they had done:
“The question for us is: Is the safest thing for these 13 children to grow up in a squalid camp where they are subjected to radical ideologies every single day and then return to Australia at some point when they’re an adult? Or is it safer for us to bring them here so they can live a life around Australian values.”
Indeed, that is the view of many experts who argue that leaving children in unstable camps may increase long-term security risks, whereas structured repatriation, monitoring, trauma care, and reintegration programs reduce them
And again, in June last year two women and four children paid people smugglers to get them out of al-Hawl camp – a sprawling, lawless and more radical camp than Al Roj. The six Australian citizens were smuggled over the Lebanese border, arrested, imprisoned and then taken to their embassy in Beirut. There the government issued them passports and they returned to Australia.
The then Opposition Leader, Sussan Ley lost no time in lashing out and describing the women and children as “a highly dangerous cohort of individuals” and accused the government of “a dereliction of duty.”
So why the hard line response we are now witnessing from our PM?
Undoubtedly he is navigating tricky political headwinds from a new opposition flexing its political muscles and aware of the still unsettled post-Bondi community, fearful of any similar tragedy occurring. Add to that the resurgence of anti-Muslim rhetoric and talk of the need to adhere to Judeo Christian values from a former prime minister and others, and humanitarian considerations sadly take a back seat to political pressures.
But distance cannot be an excuse for inaction and surely compassion and forgiveness are tenets of the Judeo Christian value system we laud.
That does not mean ignoring security concerns – but it does mean that after appropriate assessments by our security agencies responses should focus on rehabilitation, education, reintegration.
The US, Germany, Kazakhstan and Russia have repatriated significant numbers of women and children. Mothers faced persecution where evidence existed but rehabilitation and monitoring programs were put in place. Children received reintegration support and counselling. Countries that initially resisted like France, Netherlands and Sweden later joined.
There are many hard decisions that need to be made when you are PM, some deeply difficult, ethical and humanitarian and sometimes courage is needed to show the way for others how to achieve a just result.
And turning children away is a moral action, not a neutral one.
Silence, delay, and refusal are actions with consequences. In The Lost Arabs Australian poet and novelist Omar Sakr frequently writes about repatriating Australians from conflict zones including women and children held in Syria.
“We are citizens
until we are inconvenient.”
Perhaps that’s the problem for the Prime Minister at the moment, as he chooses the path where he believes most political and public sentiment lies and which will do least political damage. But in following this path the government has abandoned 34 Australian women and children to fend for themselves in an environment so unpredictable that no one knows what can happen next.
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What does the depth of our so called political discourse say about our gutless, captured politicians?What does the propaganda of our paid for, and owned media say about freedom of speech and the right to dissent?
We can expect no less from a disintergrating rabble of a former ‘Broad Church’, that was cemented into a dog whistling,boys club of ‘superior’ economic managers, by the rabid, bigoted lying rodent.
But here we are with the party formerly known as the Labor party, who have sold their souls to neoliberalism,taking the ground from under their ‘opposition’, leaving them nowhere to go but to the far right ,populist fringes of grievance, currently occupied by the hatchet faced broom jockey.
Albanese might think he’s a cunning political operator, but he is, in reality, an utter disgrace ,this country, our ‘lucky country’ has gone to shit.
Let’s not even mention the controlling lobbyists of Zionists, Miners and Banksters.
Should not the same requirement be observed for those Australians of Jewish faith – who returned to Israel and served in the IDF – and served in the destruction of Palestinian people , in what has been declared to be an attempted obliteration of Palestine people through any possible means. A genocide which we all have observed. Should those Australian citizens be allowed back to Australia ? Just asking.
Tired of the vicissitudes of this man called PM, he’s a complete fake with complex subjective vales that are interchangeable!
So, why is he protecting 550 Australian foreign fighters in the IDF’s mercenary army?
https://johnmenadue.com/post/2026/02/globalisation-of-occupation-when-genocide-becomes-an-international-project/
As for this rhetorical question, on the evidence to date, that’s highly unlikely….
https://johnmenadue.com/post/2026/02/could-old-rivalries-spur-pm-to-act-on-human-rights/?
“….the government has abandoned 34 Australian women and children to fend for themselves…”.
In reality the Government has abandoned these Australian citizens whilst it fends for itself! None of these women and children carried a gun or attended the battle front – in centuries past they would be labelled as “camp followers and they would not be prevented from returning home. In this case, how, exactly do they pose a risk to our national security? Post WW2 numerous former enemy combatants migrated to Australia and made positive contributions to the prosperity of our nation.
Judith and Heather (above) pose a very important question. Has Albanese made a faith based decision concerning those Australians who returned from Israel having served in the IDF?
Perhaps unrelated but a similar dark moment in our history is the story of the “Dunera Boys” who finally found peace through truth and justice.
https://www.duneraassociation.com/dunera-boys/
Australia will will lose all credibility as a nation of stature if these citizens remain abandoned in Syria.
@ Harry Lime, Judith, heather: Agreed on all points.
Judaism is an ancient theology that has been entangled by the 19th century Viennese Zionism/ZIONAZI theology to the detriment of the original.
The most dangerous group to Australia are the active ZIONAZIS living in Australia and whingeing whenever a policy decision offends their personal view of self-entitlement and exclusivity.
The families trapped in the Al Roz Camp in Northern Syria are AUSTRALIAN CITIZENS and so entitled to all the benefits that such status delivers. This applies especially to the kids.
It seems that ZIONAZIS hatred of Indigenous Palestinian landowners is extended to all Arabs. Coveting GAZA land-holdings for the 19th century Viennese theology of a colonist, settler, mono-theology, apartheid, pseudo-democratic political regime suggests that the real threat to Australia is this very sub-group.
The alleged ”historical righteousness” is a fallacy, however, the attraction of present and potential fossil fuel reserves does encourage US international oil corporations to send the US government to secure ”their deposits”.
Bring these Australian citizens home immediately, have them face any legal prosecutions & consequences and allow them to be successful in Australia.
The present alternative indicated that both the ALBANESE LABOR GOVERNMENT and the COALition rabble are truly beholden to the 30 pieces of silver paid by ZIOONAZI ”political donors” to both parties.
Surely the “34 Australian women” abandoned Australia?
But putting that to one side Albo does what he is told, sadly, Australia politicians don’t run our country and history would suggest they never have.
A foot note, if I may:
The plight of 34 abandoned Australian citizens has nothing to do with any threat to national security. It comes down to 2 issues:
1) Our politicians are ignoring the basic principles of freedom and justice derived from Judeo-Christian teachings that are the basis of Australia’s democratic processes.
2) Our politicians and the media have succumbed to external lobby pressure and reverted to opportunistic irrational combative politics that undermine the integrity and credibility of Australia.
This is not what they are paid for.
The Albanese Government will rue the day they took this stance.
I didn’t expect anything different from either the Opposition or One Nation.
A remarkably well researched and well balanced article.The children of the brides are the most important and wholly innocent victims.This came through loudly amongst all the rhetoric around terrorism and non repatriation.These children need safety and care so much praise to Maria Millers for pointing this out through your network and writing with compassion ,honesty and fairness.
Whatever you might think about the women, the children did not make a choice. Bring them home.
I hope the PM reads this.
Terrorists until proven otherwise is not the way justice works. That’s a guilty until proven innocent judgement call, and it leaves vulnerable people, women and children with no where to go.
I have respected our Prime Minister for a long time, he presents as a caring, humane person, but on this occasion, it seems that his compassion has disappeared, and could that be a result of incidents such as the Bondi attacks? Is it fear of the Jewish lobby which is so very good at expressing their fears and concerns, and so very good at protecting what at times appears to be their privileged positions within our communities?
These people are Australian citizens, according to reports, women who may have been coerced into marriage, but who have learned some life lessons. Bloody hard lessons I most certainly have not faced.
Please, where is the ‘fair go’ in this?
Without making any judgments it needs to be pointed out to those who say the children are innocent and as Australian citizens they should be repatriated at taxpayer expense are not drawing the whole picture.
Children born overseas may not be Australian citizens, while their Australian mother is entitled to have an Australian passport issued to her, her children may not be so entitled unless their parent with Australian citizenship has made application, and it has been granted, for them to be recognised as having Australian Citizenship by Descent.
Unless this has been done the child or children remain either stateless if the country that they were born in does not recognise them as citizens, or the citizen of the country in which they were born, if it recognises birthright citizenship, and only a small number of countries (about 35) around the world recognise birthright citizenship.
Any Australian consulate, high commission or embassy can process these applications.
between a rock and a hard place
It seems to me that the federal government is very determined to appease the conservative side of Australia.
I agree with those who favour repatriation of this group. The first response of our PM, and some of his Labor members has been disgraceful. The comments from the pathetic Liberals to be expected but no less deplorable. For me this is, and I have said it elsewhere, further evidence that Albanese should not be our PM? I say it now, we need Tanya.
Thank you Maria Millers for your excellent piece.
@ Judith:
Though doubtless a valid question, it may be based on a false analogy…
@ Heather:
Thank you for your pearls – so very excellent and informative.
@ RomeoCharlie:
Surely it’s Time for Tanya! – a seasoned politician with seasoned integrity for the moment.
As Minister for Social Services she seems to have disappeared. Perhaps she opted to retain her political values over personal/political ambition.
Intriguing such leadership talent was sidelined, if that were the case.
From Wiki:
‘Iraq
Plibersek opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[50] In 2003, when then-US President George W. Bush visited Australia, Tanya presented national security adviser Condoleezza Rice with a letter, signed by 43 Labor MPs, explaining why Labor parliamentarians opposed Australia invading Iraq without United Nations approval. She also stated in Parliament, “I do not support an attack on Iraq. I particularly do not support a pre-emptive first strike. Nor do I support any action that is initiated by the US alone rather than being sanctioned by the United Nations.”
‘Israel
Speaking in the House of Representatives on 17 September 2002, Plibersek said: “I can think of a rogue state which consistently ignores UN resolutions, whose ruler is a war criminal responsible for the massacres of civilians in refugee camps outside its borders. The US supports and funds this country. This year it gave it a blank cheque to continue its repression of its enemies. It uses US military hardware to bulldoze homes and kill civilians. It is called Israel, and the war criminal is Ariel Sharon. Needless to say, the US does not mention the UN resolutions that Israel has ignored for 30 years; it just continues sending the money…”
Plibersek’s remarks again gained prominence in October 2013, after she and Bill Shorten were elected as deputy leader and leader of the Labor Party, respectively. After choosing to take on the foreign affairs portfolio while in opposition, Liberal Party MP Julie Bishop, then Minister for Foreign Affairs, said Plibersek should “publicly retract those statements”. The Australian noted that Plibersek’s appointment was likely to be criticised by the Jewish community in Australia.’
It seems that mediocrity has trumped integrity yet again. Even if Albanese had the cajones to meet the moment, he would not be capable of articulating it intelligently or consistently against powerful other pressures to capitulate.
@ Herbert: Tanya is a forgotten leadership gem among a phalanx of capable contenders. Sadly, she with drew from the ”leadership competition” some years ago, putting family first to deal with a family crisis matter, and has quietly passed below the political horizon since.
Sadly, SLO-MO-ALBO is following the Farrell model of ”government” making a lot of bluster & future plans without changing anything.
Is it any wonder that progressive Australian voters are becoming disenchanted with the ”nothing happens to fix the problem” strategy adopted from the COALition misgovernment??
Thank you for clarifying that New England Cocky – yes I recall that issue for her now.
Naively perhaps, the most disappointing aspect of the Albanese government for me – and this in spite of its not insignificant achievements in the wake of Morrison’s shambolic ineptitude and corruption – is the wasted opportunities seemingly due to squeamishness. Albanese is no statesman, but this could be forgiven if he could just grow a pair and present a consistent and coherent ideological position on matters pertaining to our sovereignty and security. His shameless kowtowing to Israel does make me wonder if there may more to these capitulations than meets the eye.
So the trust is squandered.