KRITIKA KARMAKAR
Picture via: The New York Times
Also referred to as the ‘Caliphate wives’, the female prisoners of the Islamic State (IS) are scattered today in the many detention camps across northern Syria. The fall of the so-called Caliphate has left many women and children stranded in the region, under the strict supervision of the Kurdish led, Syrian Democratic Force (SDF). This population of detainees witnesses a mixed demographic. Even though most of them are followers of Islam, many are not native to the region. While many others are the victims of forced marriages and ISIS brutality. In any case, the daily routine of these women includes being stuck in legal limbo, as their home countries reject their return, by treating them as security threats.
As of 2019, nearly 11,000 women and children related to ISIS militants live in the al-Hol detention camp alone, out of which 7000 are children below the age of 12. The Tal Kayf prison in the Nineveh province of Iraq, which was built to have a capacity of 2,500 individuals, is currently housing 4,500 prisoners. These numbers paint a clear picture of the dire conditions of overcrowding in these prisons. These detainees are caught up at the crossroads of weak legal frameworks and lack of infrastructural support from the governments.
International NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Crisis Group, in the past, have reported about the dreadful conditions of these makeshift detention camps. However, in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, this issue of overcrowding prisons has become a major health concern. Both the WHO (World Health Organization) and UNHRC have raised calls for immediate action, but the ground reality of the situation is way more complex.
To comprehend the complications of the problem, one needs to understand the shifting political and territorial dynamics in the region. Syria faces constant clashes at its borders. The northern incursion by Turkey and the presence of Iran in the south, along with the constant threat of an ISIS resurgence has left the nation in shambles. This aggression is also backed by international players like the United States and Russia, who seek to benefit from the regional dispute. This broken governance has served as a perfect breeding ground for terrorist organizations like the Islamic State, hence there is a constant apprehension against these prisoners. The surging dominance of the IS, over the past few years, has led to the humanitarian crisis that can be seen in the Syrian prisons today.
In all of this chaos, women and children tend to suffer the most. As compared to their male counterparts, the role of women and children in the IS’s operations remains quite ambiguous. Most authorities find it difficult to ascertain the part played by them in these acts of terror, which eventually prolongs their stay in the detention facilities. The conditions in these facilities are alarming, to say the least. As per earlier reports, many suffer from bronchitis and other respiratory problems due to the severe cold experienced in the region. Tuberculosis among detainees is also a very common health concern that has been a major contributor to the mortality rates.
These already persisting health issues only add up to the piling anxiety of the women living in these camps, who are constantly worried about their children during such times. These women survive on the little information that they are able to gain from rumors in the camps or by contacting their relatives. As of April 2020, WHO has confirmed the death of a 53-year-old man from Hasakah city. So far 38 cases have been confirmed from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria alone. However, western intelligence agencies claim that these numbers could probably be higher. The lack of testing kits in the hands of the SDF is another indicator of the fact that the statics presented by them cannot be trusted. The health infrastructure of the war-batten country has suffered immensely, and in light of the present circumstances, this can prove to be extremely fatal for the population.
The lack of amenities is not the only issue that leaves these women and children vulnerable. Due to the stigma attached to them, many organizations have refused to come to their aid. Resources in these camps are already scarce, and they continue to reduce rapidly, especially after the US withdrawal from the region. Due to the pandemic, one of the nation’s key borders with Iraq, Faysh Khabour, has been closed which has stymied the flow of aid supplies to these camps. The lack of medical supplies and necessary aid is being blamed on different political actors, but this blame game does not aid the women and children living in these camps who constantly feel exposed to a furtive danger.
There have been cases of uprising in the detention camps, but none have been reported from the women prisons. Considering the many adversities that these women and children are being faced with, in these testing times, it is only a matter of time that similar accounts will also be heard from women prisons. The authorities are not taking sufficient measures to prevent the outbreak of the pandemic in these camps, thereby worsening the condition. The women and children, who are used to living their lives in uncertainty, now await the impending danger.
The views expressed and suggestions made in the articles are solely of the authors in their personal capacity and the Center for Middle East Studies and O.P. Jindal Global University do not endorse the same.
Comentários