IV. CONDITIONS IN THE CAMPS Violence and Risk The al Hol and Roj camps are fundamentally unsafe environments in which physical violence is common and psychological trauma is endemic, giving rise to apparent breaches of the rights of detainees to life and security of the person, and the freedom from torture and inhumane treatment. 39. The al Hol and Roj camps are fundamentally unsafe environments in which physical violence is common and psychological trauma is endemic, giving rise to apparent breaches of the rights of detainees to life37 and security of the person,38 and the freedom from torture and inhumane treatment.39 40. First-hand testimony provided to RSI paints a picture of poorly-supervised facilities where detainees suffer from attacks by guards, and fight between themselves, with fatal consequences. In the twelve months from June 2019 to June 2020, on average 25 people a month have died in the al Hol camp.40 Shockingly, in September 2019, security authorities responded to women and children in al Hol Annex protesting camp conditions by opening fire. The Médecins sans Frontières (‘MSF’) medical team and patients were forced to take cover to avoid gunfire.41 And, as set out above, guards shot at women and children attempting to escape the facilities, or in response to unrest. A Belgian woman in the al Hol camp told RSI, ‘We never feel safe here. My main worry is that my children are injured or die from gunshot wounds.’ Several European women reported bullets landing near their tents. ‘One day, a bullet landed between my neighbours’ tents. I’m afraid that a bullet enters my tent and wounds one of us,’ a French woman living in the al Hol camp said. 41. The violence is not confined to guards. Tensions run high between women in the overcrowded camps. ‘I almost got killed by a Tunisian woman who had a knife. She wanted to kill one of my friends and I got between them,’ a European teenage girl said. Children have been assaulted. ‘Once, a Russian woman threatened my daughter with a knife. Another time, a woman called my daughter “unbeliever” and pushed her to the floor because she had a puppy in her arms,’ a French woman in the Roj camp said. A major reason for violence in both the al Hol Annex and the Roj camp appears to be conflict between those women who remain strongly committed to ISIL ideology and those who either are, or are perceived to be, less adherent. Multiple sources (detainees, a Kurdish security official, and an NGO worker familiar with the camps) have informed RSI that groups of women who fiercely defend ISIL ideology have set up their own ‘court’ in the al Hol Annex, issuing sentences against women who fail to follow their interpretation of Islamic law. RSI has heard that a 14-year-old Azerbaijani girl was strangled to death on a charge of failing to cover her face properly. 19 RIGHTS & SECURITY INTERNATIONAL