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'Out of sight, out of mind' is the most dangerous response to 'ISIS brides'

In his response to the women and children who have been desperate to return to Australia, the prime minister has been fond of quoting his mother's advice: "If you make your bed, you lie in it." (ABC News: Stuart Carnegie)

Anthony Albanese has played a cynical political game over the so-called "ISIS brides".

For months, the prime minister talked tough on the four women and nine children who arrived in Australia on Thursday — and on the remaining families in Syria — while acknowledging he had no legal means to prevent their return.

His harsh words have not been matched by a sense of urgency about the resurgence of the Islamic State terrorist group in Australia, nor about the security gaps being exposed by the royal commission into the Bondi attack.

IS brides are entitled to the same rights as all citizens

If illegalities have happened of course they must be “handled”, but where else does an Australian citizen go if their life has become impossible (“IS brides to be charged”, May 8)? Australia has a responsibility – even to those of us who have erred. The children must be guided and the mothers need help to a fulfilling, contributing life. Remember how badly the Indigenous people were treated, which has resulted in so much tragedy and anguish? We can do better, and we can learn from our mistakes. Kindness will serve us better than sticks and stones. Leigh Allen, Hawks Nest

I was touched and pleasantly surprised that all the letter writers in yesterday’s Herald calling for compassion to the IS brides’ return were men making the connection to DV and coercive control. While each woman’s case will be examined, in a court if necessary, it does seem likely that they were mostly duped and controlled. They found themselves unable to leave, regretful but forced to remarry if their husbands died. It is to be hoped that they and their children can recover and learn to have a normal life back in Australia. They deserve that chance. If there are charges, that will be dealt with. These women have already seen hell on earth. I doubt any Australian jail can shock them. Their traumatic experiences are hugely relevant in de-radicalisation programs because they have seen the lies and abuse first hand. Rhyan Andrews, Faulconbridge

The children of IS-linked families must not be treated as extensions of their parents – but individuals shaped by years of trauma | Peta Lowe

Islamic State committed extraordinary brutality. But how Australia treats the children returning from Syria is a test of our humanity

The return of Australian women and children from Syrian detention camps this week has reignited a familiar public debate – fear, anger, outrage and politics. Three women were arrested on arrival and face serious allegations linked to terrorism and slavery offences.

But beneath the headlines and the language of “Isis brides” sits a more uncomfortable reality: many of the children stepping on to Australian soil this week have spent much of their lives in camps shaped by war, deprivation, ideological extremism and chronic instability.

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