European States’ Obligations to Repatriate the Children Detained in Camps in Northeast Syria orphaned or unaccompanied and their current primary caregivers may not be biologically related to them. This briefing paper seeks to avoid using the collective term “women and children,” as if they belong to a singular category.13 Such terminology is problematic because it conflates women’s mental capacity and, in some cases, criminal liability with that of children. 14 It also suggests that women’s roles in the camps are solely as mothers and underestimates their agency, at least for some of the women, in choosing to be involved in the activities carried out by ISIS and in subscribing to ISIS’ ideology.15 Therefore, this briefing paper uses the term “primary caregivers” instead of “mothers,” “legal guardians” or “family members” in order to acknowledge the variety of relations between the children and their de facto primary caregivers in the camps and to avoid gender stereotypes regarding caring responsibilities, while acknowledging that the vast majority of primary caregivers in the camps are women. The term “European States”, for the purpose of this briefing paper, refers to the Council of Europe member states. 13 14 15 9 Joana Cook and Gina Vale, “From Daesh to ‘Diaspora’: Tracing the Women and Minors of Islamic State”, International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, 2018, p. 5. Jessica Davis, “The Future of the Islamic State’s Women: Assessing their Potential Threat,” ICCT Policy Brief, June 2020, pp. 5-6. Ibid. Joana Cook and Gina Vale, “From Daesh to ‘Diaspora’: Tracing the Women and Minors of Islamic State”, 2018, pp. 5, 60; Hamoon Khelghat-Doost, “Women in Jihadist Organizations: Victims or Terrorists?”, Women in International Security Policy Brief, May 2017, pp. 1-2; Bidisha Biswas and Shirin Deylami, “Radicalizing Female Empowerment: Gender, Agency, and Affective Appeals in Islamic State Propaganda”, Small Wars and Insurgencies, Volume 30, Issue 6-7, 2019, p. 1193; Meredith Loken and Anna Zelenz, “Explaining Extremism: Western Women in Daesh”, European Journal of International Security, Volume 3, Issue 1, 2017, p. 51.