Islamic State: The women and children no-one wants

by Courtney Grafstein

As a result of the fight for power in the Islamic State (IS), most of the men from Middle Eastern villages have been forced to leave their families behind to fend for themselves, according to BBC.

As a result, many women and children have been left high and dry with little to no support from their husbands. The refugee camps in the Middle East have become over-run by tens of thousands of abandoned women and children. “Al-Hol is a nightmare, a camp that has grown from 11,000 people, to more than 70,000,” according to BBC.

The small children have been impacted the most, both physically and psychologically, due to the endless violence that they’ve been surrounded by for most of their young lives, says the mothers of countless children.

In addition to the violence, many young children have been exposed to disease and famine. BBC reports, “some 169 children have died since escaping Baghouz – children who did no wrong. Those that remain are at risk from sickness and disease.”

For example, a child named Nour who is just six years old was shot in the face and is barely hanging on. She is in an area where there is little to no medical attention available for the innocent children, like Nour, who have been injured due to the endless fighting.

  (Photo: Quentin Sommerville)