More than 18 Moroccan women at the “Roj” camp, which houses families and children of ISIS members in northeastern Syria, are dealing with issues like the growing severity of the heat wave, fluctuations in dollar prices, and the spread of diseases.
MoroccoLatestNews AR listened to the testimonies of some of these Moroccan women who have been living in the camp since 2016, dreaming of going home and being held accountable in their own country.
The women talked about their dire financial situation, referring to the lack of support from their families.
One of them said “Most of us work in making and preparing bread and food to sell it inside the camp in order to meet our needs,” stressing that “the prices in the market are very high to an indescribable extent, and the shop owners take advantage of the high prices.”
The high temperature fuels the emergence of insects and contributes to the spread of diseases, explained the same woman, revealing that “ organizations refuse to spray pesticides, and those in the camp suffer from a lack of water, as it is only available for three hours on some days, and sometimes the available quantities are contaminated, so most women and children in the camp suffer from stomach and intestines inflammation, in addition to allergies due to the high temperature.”
According to the woman speaking about the situation there, these “prisoners” are required to pay for expensive medications, tests, and examinations with their own money
“The health situation, especially the psychological one, is at a low point, whether for children or women,” the spokeswoman adds, noting that the kids don’t like to study and have started asking constantly when the camp is going to be over.
Even though they are youngsters, their words and gestures evoke a sense of profound grief, she emphasized.
“Most of the children do not know the meaning of the outside world. For them, the programs they see on television, homes and streets, are like a fantasy; They do not know the meaning of a house, a door, or a key, the meaning of a family, and who are the aunt, grandmother, and uncle,” said the same person.
She travelled Syria in 2016 and left the extremist organization in 2017. In her interview with MoroccoLatestNews AR, she said that she paid the price of the year she spent with the organization with nearly 6 years in captivity.
Regarding the security situation in the camp, she stated that on occasion, they are questioned inside a building owned by the security officials by some individuals (whose identity and nationality remain unknown.
The spokesperson claimed that during part of the camp’s searches of women, their possessions were taken, their money was taken, and they were threatened in order to keep quiet.