RAN small-scale expert meeting - Social Trauma of Women Returning from Daʿesh Territory, 29 June 2023

Women returning from Daʿesh territory often have experienced situations that have had a negative impact on their mental health. This happened both in Daʿesh territory and in the camps where many of them stayed for prolonged periods of time after leaving the ‘caliphate’. Although the atrocities in which these women (might) have played a role themselves should not be ignored, neither should their mental health and the potentially traumatic experiences they have encountered, as neglecting mental health issues would be detrimental to their rehabilitation. 

It is known that threats to identity and lack of a sense of belonging are key drivers for individuals joining extremist groups. So, it makes sense that similar processes are relevant in disengagement processes. A severe breach of an individual’s social integrity can lead to social trauma, which is the topic that was at the centre of the RAN smallscale expert session on ‘Social Trauma of Women Returning from Daʿesh Territory’ that took place online on 29 June 2023. A small group of experts, comprising inter alia psychiatrists, exit workers and researchers, came together to explore how tackling these women’s social trauma can contribute to their reintegration and rehabilitation processes. 

Key outcomes of the meeting are: 

• Attention for the concept of social trauma is quite new, although for individuals, feeling threatened in their identity and sense of belonging, is often a key component of why individuals join extremist groups. The concept is similarly important to disengagement processes. 
• Research on PTSD and trauma often relates to men’s experiences. This makes it hard to identify (socially) traumatic responses in women. 
• A strong identity is a protective factor against radicalisation; therefore, addressing women’s social trauma is key in their rehabilitation process. Failure to address this issue early on, might lead to issues in key areas later on, such as finding stable housing, a job and a community. 
• For the rehabilitation of women specifically, it is key to look into who the women in the receiving community are and how they can contribute to the female returnees’ rehabilitation. Motherhood as a shared identity marker can play an important role in this regard. 
• Systemic counselling can be a valuable approach when tackling social trauma. Systemic counselling targets the social systems relevant to the client, how these systems influence them and how the different groups or individuals in the system can cooperate to help the individual. 
• Non-clinical practitioners should receive education on trauma-informed working. Moreover, when cases are discussed, a clinical professional should always be present. 

This paper will first deal with the concept of social trauma, how it manifests in women and the importance of addressing the issue when working on returning women’s rehabilitation and reintegration. Furthermore, the value of systemic counselling in this regard is discussed, as well as experiences with returning children. Lastly, an inspiring challenge is shared and recommendations and suggestions for follow-up are formulated.