Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her government continue to oppose six Danish women who voluntarily traveled to the Islamic State’s terrorist caliphate in the mid – 2010s to be with their IS war partners and returned from two camps in northern Syria.
Today, however, it has been announced that a working group has been set up to decide whether the six women’s 19 children (ages 1-14), who all have a solid requirement for Danish citizenship, can be evacuated in the near future.
A majority consisting of the government, SF, Radicals, Left, Conservatives and Liberal Alliance supported the plans, and the working group has until 15 May to make its recommendations.
“Conditions in the camps have deteriorated sharply over the last few months. We need to see how we can help the children without the parents within the conventions, โcommented Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod.
Hotly debated
Three of the mothers’ citizenship has been revoked, while the three Danes have consistently been denied help by the Danish foreign service.
Nine of the children were born in Denmark and have an automatic right, eight had at least one Danish parent at the time of their birth, and one is orphaned.
So far, it is a case that has divided public opinion in Denmark, where the issue has been much debated.
At great risk in the al-Hol camp
It has long been feared that their children are extremely vulnerable in the camps. Should IS take them under its care, it has been argued in the media that this could have serious future consequences for the welfare of the children and increase the possibility that they will one day seek retaliation against Denmark.
Nine of the children live in the al-Hol camp with two of the women, and ten children live in the al-Roj camp with the other four women.
The Al-Hol camp is described as being particularly insecure. Its tent-like residence currently houses about 60,000 people – mostly displaced Syrians and Iraqi refugees – of whom over 80 percent are women and children. It has reported 40 killings so far this year.
No support from the left
The government has little support from the left. Its support parties, the Unity List, the Radicals and the Socialist People’s Party, all disagree with the Prime Minister and claim that mothers and children should be allowed to return to Denmark.
Frederiksen, however, considers them a security risk. After all, they “turned their backs on Denmark”, she explains.
The Radicals are the strongest opponent of the Prime Minister’s position, and its leader Martin Lidegaard has even threatened to withdraw his support from the government if it does not act properly.
The government has taken children out of the camps. On two occasions, in June and December 2019, a child was delivered into the hands of the Danish authorities because it was decided to be in their best interest.
Source: The Nordic Page