British women and children detained in Syria failed by UK government, inquiry finds

A detention camp for women and children in Kurdish-controlled northern Syria. NGO Reprieve found most British women detained in camps are victims of trafficking. Photograph: Ivor Prickett/New York Times/Redux/eyevine

There is “compelling evidence” that British women and children currently detained in camps in north-east Syria were trafficked to the country against their will, according to a new parliamentary report.

After a six-month inquiry by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on trafficked Britons in Syria, the report published on Thursday highlights how systemic failures by UK public bodies enabled Islamic State (IS) trafficking of vulnerable women and children as young as 12.