One small country set the model for reintegrating ISIS families from Syria. Here’s what Australia can learn |
After four women and nine children associated with Islamic State returned to Australia from Syria last week, the Australian Federal Police indicated some would be referred to community reintegration and countering violent extremism programs.
Australia is not starting from scratch. Thirty-one Australian women and children have previously returned from Syria, all but six of them with government assistance. None has been linked to criminal acts since coming home.
The pressing question, then, is not whether Australia has the institutional capacity to support these returns, but what makes reintegration succeed or fail.
This is where Australia can learn from the lessons of dozens of other countries that have repatriated women and children linked to ISIS.
I’ve conducted research on these repatriations across 69 countries, conducting interviews with ISIS returnees, practitioners and policymakers. And I’ve identified a consistent pattern. States that invest in well-designed rehabilitation programs can achieve better long-term outcomes for both communities and returnees.
What the research shows
First, most rehabilitation programs globally are designed for men. They neglect women’s experiences and reinforce stereotypes about women’s lack of agency or assumed victimisation.
For instance, in the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and parts of Southeast Asia, these programs provide vocational training for women based on gender-stereotypical roles, such as sewing classes. Such........