The Documentary Podcast
The Documentary Podcast
BBC World Service
The women of IS: Part one
29 minutes Posted Mar 10, 2026 at 1:30 am.
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Show notes

What next for the Syrian detention camps and their residents? After the fall of the so-called “caliphate", tens of thousands of women and children from around the world - followers of the group as well as its victims - ended up in a handful of camps in north-eastern Syria. Once run by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, those camps are now in the process of being closed down by the Syrian authorities.

This three-part series from The Global Jigsaw explores the trauma that led to the prolonged existence of these camps and what the future might hold for their residents. In part one, we zoom in on the tent city of al-Hol.

Contributors: Mina al-Lami, Jiyar Gol, Barry Marston, Mohammed Al-Jumaily

Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov
Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg
Music: Pete Cunningham