ISIS women, children pose bigger threat than estimated, warns UK report

The number of women and children who travelled to war zones like Syria and Iraq to become Islamic State (ISIS) affiliates has been significantly under-estimated and under-analysed, new research warns.

According to the report 'From Daesh to "Diaspora": Tracing the Women and Minors of Islamic State' by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at King's College London, these women and children could pose a significant international security risk moving forward unless efforts are made to fully comprehend the challenge.

"These findings are significant as considerations of foreign IS-affiliates in Syria and Iraq have largely focused on the status and activities of its male members," said Shiraz Maher, Director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation.

"Women and minors are poised to play a significant role in carrying on the ideology and organisation of IS now that the 'caliphate' has fallen, so it is essential that governments recognise these affiliates as two distinct groups who need their own unique responses," she said.

The report, which was presented to the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Council Executive Committee (UNCTED) last week, was released in the UK yesterday. Key statistics highlighted in the report indicate that between April 2013 and June 2018, 41,490 international citizens from 80 countries became affiliated with the ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Around 4,761 (13 per cent) of these were recorded to be women and 4,640 (12 per cent) were recorded to be minors.

At least 730 infants have been born inside the so-called ISIS "caliphate" to international parents and the researchers warn that it is estimated that this number is much higher and that many of these infants have a right to the citizenship of their foreign parents. Around 7,366 of this group are now believed to have returned to their home countries (20 per cent) or appear to be in repatriation processes to do so.

"There has never been a more pertinent time to recognise and integrate gender and minor considerations into all streams of effort to counter IS. We hope this report encourages similar future analysis so that we can understand and counter IS and its underlying ideology," said Dr Joana Cook, one of the researchers on the report.

Cook and Gina Vale, both from the Department of War Studies at King's College London, analysed over 90,500 individual items drawn from 283 sources in the largest mapping exercise of its kind. The majority of the data comes from official government sources and figures, however when these were not deemed reliable or available, figures were taken from academic or institutional publications and media reports deemed credible. In cases where only individual cases were found, these were compiled and highlighted as individual cases recorded (ICR).

The dataset is based on figures reported between April 2013 and June 2018 in line with the formal announcement of "ISIL" by Abu Bakr al Baghdadi on April 8, 2013.

Alongside the findings, the report also provides several recommendations specific to women and children, highlighting that these ISIS-linked women and children require "specific attention", including access to a fair trial, and that minors in particular require "nuanced consideration".

It notes: "Clear rehabilitative (rather than punitive) policies for returning minors may encourage more families to report missing children, reduce the burden on IDP [Internally Displaced People] camps and detention centres within Iraq and Syria, and reduce the risk of statelessness for IS orphans.

"All actions in theatre of engagement, including military efforts, should reflect gender and minor-conscious considerations."