Daech's children, those no one wants to see

Despite repeated appeals from international bodies and NGOs, many states still refuse to repatriate their child nationals from the northern Syrian camps of Al-Hol and Al-Roj.

Last September, in its report, NGO Save the Children estimated the number of children trapped in the war-torn country at around 40,000. They cannot be held responsible for their parents' actions, yet their most fundamental rights are being denied: the right to health, the right to education, etc. In order to comply with international obligations and commitments, it is essential that states proceed immediately with the repatriation, rehabilitation and integration of children. The gripping documentary Children of the Enemy follows the journey of Patricio Galvez, a Chilean and Swedish musician, as he searches for his 7 grandchildren in the Al-Hol camp.

Jeunesse Justice Moyen-Orient

Saturday 5 March

16:00

Espace Pitoëff - Théâtre

Followed by the debate Daech's children, those no one wants to see.

French

Speakers

Patricio Galvez Protagonist of the film Children of the Enemy

Olivier Peter Swiss lawyer, specialised in assisting human rights defenders, victims of human trafficking, torture or ill-treatment

Fabrizio Carboni Regional Director Near and Middle East of the International Committee of the Red Cross

Moderated by

Anne-Frédérique Widmann Journalist and director, RTS, Jean Dumur Prize 2019, notably for her documentary Sur la piste des damnés de Daech

To go further

WONK SAK HOI Geraldine, “En Syrie, l'avenir incertain des enfants de djihadistes suisses“ dans SwissInfo, 13.05.2021.

This debat is preceded by the movie:

Compétition - Grand Reportage Films en VOD

Children of the Enemy

By Gorki Glaser-Müller

Patricio Galvez is living a nightmare. Radicalisation has led his daughter and her husband to leave for Syria, where the couple have met an untimely death, leaving seven young orphans to be shuffled around in a ghastly camp. With little hope for these "children of the enemy", Patricio decides to go looking for them. Lacking any knowledge of the situation on-site, he is plunged into the heart of conflicting strategic, media and political interests. But Patricio is ready for anything...