Whether the "ISIS brides" should be

permitted to return to this country or whether they should be barred from ever returning is being hotly debated in the media right now. Most people who are commenting on it almost certainly have no knowledge of the law surrounding their right, or lack of right, to return.

Add to that the undeniable fact that the government has been assisting them in their attempts to return and the issues get even more complex. 

The question of whether they have the right to return to this country is actually easily answered. Yes, if they have valid passports, they have the right to return. You cannot stop people with valid passports entering their own country unless you take extraordinary measures. The government has not taken those measures and it does not appear they intend to do so. 

How did the women get those passports? They must have obtained them with the help of the government. 

Recently I had to renew my passport. It still had a time to run but you need a minimum of six months from your proposed date of return to enter some countries. I was not taking any risks. The complications of not having the correct documentation can be huge and very costly -financially and otherwise.  

In order to renew my passport I had to supply some information. I had to supply a new photograph in multiple copies. I had to sign the form and so on. This was just to renew a passport. 

Obtaining a new passport is even more complex. It can be done of course and people do it all the time. Doing it from anywhere abroad is more complex, much more complex. You need to be able to access original documents. You need to have others on the electoral roll and who hold certain positions to certify the person who is applying is who they say they are. Documents need to be signed and witnessed.

Why am I saying all of this? I am saying it because it would have been impossible for the women seeking to return to have obtained passports without the assistance of the present government. That assistance must have been taking place over many months. The claim that they have been giving these women no assistance is wrong. 

If they are returned, and they almost certainly will be, then they will likely be closely monitored for the rest of their lives. Their children will be monitored too. There will be restrictions placed on them. It will come at immense cost to the taxpayer and it is not just because these women will never be employed.

 Should they have given them assistance? Do these women have the right to return? Should we be concerned about their return? These are completely different questions. 

In all this we also need to remember there are children. It can be argued their mothers had a choice but the children had no choice. How we treat them is going to be a test of how we stand as a nation.