UN official calls on Canada not to separate mother, 6 kids held in Syrian detention camp

A United Nations official is calling on the Canadian government not to repatriate six children from a Syrian detention camp without their mother.

The Canadian woman and her children are among many foreign nationals in Kurdish-run camps for ISIS suspects and their family members in northeastern Syria.

Canada has agreed to repatriate the children, but recently decided not to repatriate the mother due to security concerns.

The UN's special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights wrote a letter to the government in May warning that separating the children from their mother could further traumatize the children, who are dealing with depression and anxiety.

"While we are clear that the children's repatriation can only be considered in their best interest, we stress that preventing family separation and preserving family unity are essential components of the child protection system," the letter reads.

The rapporteur made the letter public after giving the government 60 days to respond, which the government declined.

A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada (GAC) said Monday that the government "does its utmost to cooperate" with UN rapporteurs, but wouldn't offer further comment citing privacy concerns.

Ottawa lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, who is representing the woman, has told CBC in the past that separating a mother from her children violates Canada's international commitments as well as the government's policy for assessing possible repatriation cases.

Family in poor health: rapporteur

The rapporteur says the family is in dire health, claiming all seven have suffered hair loss and calcium deficiency. The letter also states a number of the children have had hepatitis multiple times and some have contracted parasites.

Camp guards attacked the mother in December 2021, the letter says.

The letter also describes the mother as the "only element of stability in [the children's] lives."

"Any separation from their mother, particularly one where the mother would remain alone in the camp, would cause these young children irreparable trauma," the letter reads.

Greenspon has argued that if the woman does pose a risk, the government should repatriate her and either charge her with a crime or place her under a peace bond. Under such a bond, a judge can order a defendant to maintain good behaviour or face a prison sentence.

Two women were repatriated from Syria last October and one was charged with terrorism-related offences.

Greenspon has also argued in Federal Court on behalf of several men, women and children detained in Syria that GAC must arrange for their return — and that refusing to do so would violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The Ottawa-based lawyer reached an agreement with the federal government in January to bring home six Canadian women and 13 children who had been part of the court action.

The RCMP arrested three of those women upon their arrival in Canada. They were later released from custody on peace bonds.