Member of Parliament for Chaguanas West, Dinesh Rambally, is again voicing concern about approximately 56 children of Trinidad and Tobago parents who are being detained in Syria.
MP Rambally warns that the children can become radicalized by terror organizations if they continue to remain in Syria.
Speaking with Guardian Media at the Masjid Ul Furqaan in Felicity, he said the children are being subjected to degrading conditions and efforts should be made to bring them home as soon as possible.
“Some policy can be formulated by the Government, and steps can be taken in terms of partnering with the international counterparts so that we can bring these children home,” he maintains.
He believes it is the only way to ensure the children do not suffer from radicalization or find themselves becoming part of the next iteration of ISIS.
“That is the risk that you run,” the Chaguanas West MP argues, “the longer these people continue to remain there. It is far better that we bring home our children, integrate them within a strategic national security apparatus created in partnership with our international counterparts, to ensure some level of integration, as opposed to leaving them languishing there.”
He added: “Their human rights are being trampled every second of every minute of every hour of every day the longer they continue to remain there in those detention camps.”
He said many of the group of 56 who he is urging the authorities to assist went there as children with their parents and are now adults.
He notes there also are many children in the group of 56 who were born in Syria, and for whom the authorities must develop a special policy, given that they would not have taken up arms or committed crimes against humanity or been involved in any ISIS activities.