ICRC urges Australia to repatriate women and children in northeastern Syria camps

Red Cross officials have made fresh appeals to the Australian government to repatriate women and children from camps in northeastern Syria, in order to "prevent further distress and suffering".

Fabrizio Carboni, a regional director of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said that tens of thousands of children are suffering in appalling conditions, and that they "must be treated first and foremost as victims".

The ICRC comments have increased pressure on the government of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to repatriate an estimated 60 Australian women and children from the camps in northeastern Syria. Of the Australians in the camp, 40 are believed to be children. 

Inside the camp are many family members who travelled to Iraq or Syria to join Islamic State group. 

The renewed calls from the ICRC have spurred Australian politicians to speak out on the issue. 

On Thursday, The Greens senator Janet Rice said that the children in the camp were "in a desperate and dire situation, with their lives put at significant and unnecessary risk because the Morrison government refuses to act."

“It was a dream ... now it’s a reality.” From #Syria to Australia: the story of one family reunited. pic.twitter.com/Y6Rr07m6Iv

— ICRC (@ICRC) January 2, 2017

The Australian government has indicated that it is open to the idea of repatriating women and children, and has previously said that it "remains concerned" about conditions in the camps, but will only consider repatriations on a case-by-case basis. 

The Australian government has also raised concerns about the safety of officials visiting the camps to arrange for repatriations, although these concerns were dismissed by Rice.

"The Australian government knows that it is possible to repatriate people from these camps without putting Australian lives at risk, but are making a cruel political choice not to act," said Rice. 

"We cannot be a nation without compassion. We cannot leave children to die," she added. 

In this regard, the ICRC has offered to help countries, like Australia, to repatriate its citizens from camps in northeastern Syria. 

"Many western states have shown that repatriation, while not easy, is possible," David Tuck, the ICRC's head of mission in Australia told Guardian Australia. 

"It is vital that we remember that these women and children are individuals, like any one of us, and that the children in particular are vulnerable, and victims," he added. 

The Australian government have also been warned that time is running out for those inside the camp and that immediate action is required. 

"The window of opportunity to act, to prevent further distress and suffering is there, but it is narrowing" said Carboni to reporters. 

"The moment for states to act humanely and responsibly – to remove their citizens from such conditions – is now. The needs are immense and the cost of inaction is high, for everybody," he continued.