The Canadian government announced that it was able to return 6 Canadian children who were stuck in Syrian detention camps to Canada, according to what Global Affairs Canada announced this morning.
Exceptional measures to return children
Global Affairs Canada explained that the government has taken exceptional measures to return children from northeastern Syria, and the children's privacy is currently being preserved, while ensuring that they receive the necessary care and support needed to start a new life in Canada.
For his part, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken confirmed that the 6 children were returned from Syria to Canada, as part of a process during which 11 American citizens, Canadian, Dutch, and Finnish citizens were returned.
The recruiting clinic was open
Greenspun stated that the recruitment clinic was open when they arrived and that the family who would care for the six children had been found.
According to a report published by CBC News in June, the children's mother was denied permission to return to Canada after failing a security check.
Grinspoon claimed the government told him the woman “adhered to extreme ideological beliefs” and could endanger the public, so it chose not to repatriate her. He alleged that the administration withheld information about the process by which this decision was made.
"They don't indicate the depth of their assessment or what they thought or how they came to that conclusion," he said.
Repatriation initiatives
According to Blinken's statement outlining repatriation initiatives, the Al-Hawl and Roj camps for displaced people in Syria still house about 30,000 people, the majority of whom are children, from more than 60 countries.
“As governments repatriate their citizens, we urge thought and flexibility to ensure family units remain intact to the greatest extent possible,” Blinken said.
Facilitating reception and housing for children
GAC claimed that it cooperates with local governments, NGOs and “local childcare services and shelters to facilitate reception, housing and other support services” for the children.
“We also thank the United States for its invaluable support throughout this process and for its assistance in repatriating Canadians,” GAC said.
In response to this news, Canadian human rights lawyer and former Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada, Alex Neff, posted on social media, “From northeast Syria.”
