Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusan said that most individuals who end up in foreign warzones are taken there of false premises.
"From our observations so far, we can see that most individuals have been taken there under the influence of a senior member of their families. Meaning, in some cases, a husband takes his wife and kids under false pretenses. They are not even aware of where they are being taken to," the Minister said.
Ihusan said that while most individuals are taken to warzones in this manner, a lot of them wish to return back to the Maldives once they reach there and see the conditions around them.
He confirmed that the five families brought back to Maldives yesterday were also taken to Syria through deception.
"One of these five families is one that went to India for medical purposes, and from there, fled to Syria. They did not reach the warzone necessarily because it was their intended destination from the start. Based on this, we consider those returned, especially women and children, as victims," the Minister said.
"There are also instances where the leader of the family initiates the move, or even where the husband and wife deliberate and decide on going to these places," he explained.
While this is the case, it has been observed that in most cases, it is the men of the family that deceptively take the entire family to the warzones. He said that often such persons have reached out to the government seeking assistance to return, but added that organizing the return of such individuals is not an easy task
Minister Ihusan said that the government is aware that there are more individuals in the country who aspire to travel to warzones to fight in foreign wars.
He implored that such persons consider the plight of the families returned and those still seeking return before coming to such a decision.
"The utter hardship that families like this face in such locations is a reality that Maldivians must face. Sometimes the men die, leaving behind the women and children to struggle to fend for themselves. The plight of those children who are born in such locations. The plight of children who are taken there," the Minister said.
Authorities have revealed that over 100 Maldivians are in foreign warzones even at present.
The Minister said that 90 of these persons have reached out to the government, seeking return.
The Ministry appealed to the public to share information with the police if they have a member in their family who harbour thoughts of travelling to join a war. Ihusan said that providing immediate professional help to such persons before they leave the country can result in distancing them from such ideology.
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