TORONTO -- A panel of UN human rights experts is calling on the Canadian government to urgently repatriate a five-year-old orphaned girl being held in a crowded Syrian camp, noting Canada has the ‘primary responsibility’ for ensuring the girl’s human rights.
In a statement issued Wednesday, UN experts noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought new urgency to the matter, citing inhuman and crowded living conditions in the al-Hol refugee camp where thousands of other ISIS family members are being held.
“Canada has an obligation to intervene in favour of its nationals abroad, particularly if there are reasonable grounds to believe that their non-derogable human rights have been violated,” experts said in the statement.
“Within this context, special care must be taken for children, particularly if their parents are dead.”
The girl, identified as only Amira, was orphaned when her mother, father and three siblings were killed in the last battle to destroy ISIS in 2019. Her parents were Canadians who had left to fight for ISIS in 2014.
Somehow, a photo of her made its way to Canada allowing her remaining family members to know she was alive.
Since then, her uncle has been desperately fighting to have Amira repatriated, even travelling to Syria to visit the young girl and prove her identity. CTV News agreed not to reveal his name over fears there could be repercussions against his family.
UN experts warn that living conditions in the al-Hol camp are inhumane, “deprived of liberty,” and lacking in basic care, food, sanitation and medical care.
Acknowledging the family’s extreme lengths to ensure her repatriation, the panel notes that Canada has “primary responsibility” for ensuring Amira’s human rights, calling on the government to deepen its efforts to ensure her safe return.
“Children like her should be regarded primarily as victims and treated as such,” reads the statement.
“They should not be punished because of the presumed behaviour or affiliation of their parents.”
In a statement issued to CTV News Wednesday, Global Affairs Canada confirmed it has received the appeal from the UN and will provide the panel with a timely response, noting officials have been in “regular contact” with the girl’s family.
“This is an extremely complex situation. We understand and share the family's concerns,” Adam Austen, a spokesperson with Global Affairs Canada, told CTV News by email.
“Consular officials are actively engaged with Syrian Kurdish authorities and the international non-governmental organization providing care to her. Officials are in regular contact with the family. Minister Champagne has spoken to them directly to express that he shares their concerns and to reiterate our support.”
Austen notes that Canada does not have a diplomatic presence in Syria and, in light of the current security situation, “it is extremely difficult to provide consular services anywhere in Syria.” The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has further complicated the situation.
“Despite these challenges, Global Affairs is evaluating options to assist further as we continue to advocate for the child's health and safety,” he noted, but would not provide further details, citing privacy concerns.
Fionnuala Ni Aolain, a UN humanitarian expert who served on the panel, told CTV News that the child is in “serious danger” of dying in the crowded refugee camp, which houses an estimated 70,000 people, including more than 40,000 children.
“Canada is a leader in advocating for the rights of children,” she said. “This is really a case where Canada must do its utmost to ensure the return of the child.”
CTV News has been following Amira’s plight for almost a year, speaking with her family about their efforts to bring her home to Canada.
“I continue to be astonished… by the lengths the Canadian government will go to deny my poor niece her basic human rights,” her uncle told CTV News in February after travelling to Syria only to return without the girl.
During his time in Syria, Kurdish officials reportedly told him they would be happy to release Amira once a Canadian diplomat had travelled to the region to make a formal request.
In a previous interview with CTV News, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was too dangerous to send Canadian diplomats into the region.
On Wednesday, Trudeau said the government continues to work on the case by going through the “proper processes.”
“We have been working on this file for many months now, we’re making sure that we are going through the proper processes,” he said. “We also understand the importance of being that country that is consistently there to support people in difficulty around the world.”
