Anne Speckhard, Ph.D. & Ardian Shajkovci , Ph.D.,

1. ISIS - When Serving Terrorism is an “All in the Family” AffairHow to Recover the Lost Children &Spouses of ISIS Anne Speckhard, Ph.D. & ArdianShajkovci, Ph.D., For the OCSE Reverse Flow of Foreign Fighters Conference 5-11-18

2. ISIS Recruitment • 30,000 + foreigners going to the battlefield • From over 120 countries • Everyone Expected a Flood of Men to return • But its mostly women and children

3. Wives and Mothers of ISIS • Nearly all ISIS women were married • Remaining single was not an option • Most bore children • Many had forced multiple marriages • Subjected to violence and trauma • Some returned - Many in camps • Passport issues for children • Many did not swear bayat • Foreign women were invited to recruit & be in the ISIS hisbah • May face prosecution • Some are asking to go to third countries to avoid prosecution

4. Escaped American ISIS Wife and Children • 32 years old • 2 children with her • 2 born there • Married, widowed, forced • into another marriage • Jailed, tortured • Witnessed rape • Escaped from Raqqa • Now in a YPG camp • No passports • May not be willing to return

5. Children at Risk • May have undergone indoctrination • Weapons training • Have suffered & witnessed traumas • Emulate those they are around • Who decides their fate? Separate from parents? • DNA test for citizenship • Assessment and Treatment

6. Iraqi Data • 700 ISIS women in custody • 400 from Turkey, • 200 from Russia, • 8 from Belgium,others Germany, France, Jordan, Syria • On average, all of them have three or more children. • Children over 3 removed from their mothers and placed in protective custody • Yazidi victims voluntarily give up their children in order to return home

7. Other “Foreign Fighters” Data • Russians have repatriated 71 children • 26 mothers • 70-120 Russian children in Mosul orphanage • Estimates of 300-400 French children in Syria and Iraq • 6 German children held in camps • At least four Americans.

8. Legal Issues in Syria & Iraq • In Iraq at least 100 Europeans have been tried • In Northern Syria 700 terrorism related cases carried out • Democratic Federation of Northern Syria – Rojava • Does it have legitimate legal authority to prosecute or hold mothers and children? • Some Western countries say their foreign women should be prosecuted there • Issues of longer sentencing, evidential standards, torture, human rights abuses

9. Laura Passoni – Belgian Success Story • Abandoned with a small boy • Looked for love on Internet • ISIS found her • Seduced into marriage & • Travel to Syria • Bore another child there • Escaped

10. Laura Passoni • Children temporarily removed • Placed in grandparents custody • Prosecuted • Stay of Sentence • Success story

11. ISIS Women and Children • First priority is return • Particularly of Children • May need to use existing child protection laws to get them home and to make sure they are protected • Provide Immediate and Comprehensive Treatment • May need to use prosecution for compliance • Monitoring – don’t assume zombification of women • Rehabilitation • Reintegration – Overcome stigma and trauma

12. Our ICSVE Team Email - AnneSpeckhard @ICSVE.org ArdianShajkovci@ICSVE.org Web: www.ICSVE.org YouTube YouTube.com/ICSVE