Belgian Boy, 9, Rescued from Syrian Camp After Mother’s Abduction

27 December 2020 – byGinette · 1 min read

A 9-year-old boy, kidnapped by his mother and taken to Syria, was repatriated on Friday to Belgium. The information was confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which specified that the child was with his mother in the Roj camp, near the Turkish border.

The child’s mother took him to Syria "to join the caliphate" in 2014. And it is still she who requested that he be repatriated and handed over to his father in Belgium. "I want him to leave. He can no longer stay here," his mother testified on the RTBF microphone. According to the Foreign Affairs, the child was repatriated on Friday after negotiations. A video of a meeting held for this purpose was published by a communication agency close to the Kurdish authorities.

The situation of Belgian children held in camps in Syria is a concern for many Belgian personalities who are trying to hold discussions with the Kurdish authorities to negotiate their repatriation. The director of Child Focus, Heidi De Pauw, had previously traveled to Syria with the association of victims of terrorism "V-Europe" as well as the parliamentarians Georges Dallemangne (cdH) and Koen Metsu (N-VA) to find a solution.

According to RTBF, 14 men, 21 women and 38 Belgian children are currently in the camps in northeastern Syria.

Category: Belgium

Keywords:

Belgium Syria Child Repatriation Kidnapping