Efforts by DAA to rehabilitate the residents of al-Hol Camp

The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, through its institutions, is making great efforts in the camps designated for ISIS families in the North and East Syria region (al-Hol and Roj), other than those related to organizing the camp and the associations and organizations working in it and coordinating the removal or reception of families.

The camp administration of the Democratic Autonomous Administration is working on rehabilitation programs for these families and preparing to integrate them into communities, to end extremism and keep the children within them away from those environments, according to what the camp administrators confirmed.

In al-Hol Camp, the most dangerous camp in the world, and the whole world considers it a source of extremist thought, due to the large number of families of ISIS mercenaries it contains, its administration has allocated the largest part of its capabilities to rehabilitating those families, and pushing local and international associations and organizations towards that.

The co-chair of the al-Hol Camp administration, Khorshid Qarro, confirms that they are working with all their partners on the ground, from local and international associations and organizations, to limit the spread of extremist ideology.

He said about these efforts and their potential, “There are associations affiliated with the Autonomous Administration that provide awareness and rehabilitation programs for the camp’s residents, and there are local associations and international organizations, and this is what we consider a small part, because there is a need for a greater effort from countries and the United Nations, and there must be an international agreement and commitment to rehabilitating all camp residents to limit the ISIS ideology spreading inside the camp.”

He added, "Through these awareness-raising measures and work programmes, we are trying as much as possible to rehabilitate children and women and eradicate extremist ideology, despite all the continuing threats on a daily basis."

Among the agencies working to rehabilitate families living in al-Hol Camp is the Syrian Women’s Council, which targets all age groups of children and women within all sections of the camp, with the exception of the Jihadists ISIS women’s section, which houses the families of foreign ISIS mercenaries, through lectures, psychological treatment, and vocational courses that help women focusing on their future away from what is intended to consolidate extremist ideology among the camp’s residents.

The administrator of the Camps Committee within the Syrian Women’s Council, and the supervisor of awareness and rehabilitation programs for children and women in al-Hol Camp, Jihan Hamza, indicated the reasons for the Council to begin paying attention to this aspect and devoting part of the efforts to this issue.

She said about what the council provides in this regard, “Our work within the camp consists of recreational, educational and awareness-raising activities, and training and vocational courses, aimed at getting them out of their hopeless psychological state and changing the extremist ideology they have taken.”

In contrast to the efforts being made by the Autonomous Administration and the concerned authorities in North and East Syria, there are major obstacles, according to what was reported by the camp administration and the supervisors of these programs in the relevant associations, organizations and institutions.

The supervisor of the Syrian Women’s Council for awareness and rehabilitation programs for children and women in al-Hol Camp, Jihan Hamza, mentioned some of the challenges facing their efforts: “We receive many direct death threats, in addition to burning the tent in which we conduct our work, not to mention what the trainees and those targeted for awareness programs receive from threats, coming from other women.”

Khurshid Qarro noted that there is another aspect facing their efforts: “ISIS women are trying to consolidate this extremism among children, by giving what they call (legal lessons), and they are spreading rumors among the camp residents about the nature of the awareness programs that we are offering for the recipients, and some women and children are targeting those who are trying to benefit of the work programs of organizations and management.

T/ Satt.

ANHA