People regularly escape from the overcrowded camps. “Often it is unclear what number it concerns, nor is there any certainty about their nationality and age. It is also often unclear when the escapes took place,” said Kaag and Bijleveld.
The women are in the al-Hol and al-Roj camps, among other places. The conditions in the camps are appalling, according to aid workers. According to the AIVD intelligence service, thirty Dutch women are staying in camps of the Syrian Kurds. There are also 75 children with a Dutch link.
In November 2020, Minister Ferd Grapperhaus (Justice) reported that one or more Dutch women had probably escaped from al-Hol since the end of June of that year.
Monitor
The government is concerned about the escapes. After all, escaped travelers can rejoin terrorist groups and they could return to the Netherlands under the radar. The cabinet has taken measures to minimize the risk of unnoticed return of travelers to the Netherlands,” said Kaag and Bijleveld.
At the beginning of last month, a Dutch traveler and her two children were collected from Northern Syria. The Kurdish authorities want to get rid of the foreigners. The Dutch government is not actively trying to repatriate the travelers.
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