Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper MP, on the three girls who have left the UK to travel to Syria:

“We  must do everything possible to find the three girls who have left East London  to travel to the region and bring them home. It is very disturbing that ISIL  have been able to spread their lies and twisted ideology to exploit young  women and convince them to be part of their evil terrorist group.

 
 “There are serious questions about why Turkish Airlines allowed three 15 and  16 year old girls unaccompanied onto a flight. Why were such young people  allowed to fly on their own in the first place? And why – when we know other  young people seeking to travel to Syria have initially travelled to Turkey –  did the airline not raise immediate concerns to the police and security  services? The Government had told us they were already working with the  airlines to disrupt people travelling via Turkey to Syria so it is extremely  hard to understand why it has taken until now for the Home Secretary and the  Transport Secretary to contact Turkish Airlines about this.
 
 “And we need to urgently re-think how the Prevent programme is working.  Experts are clear that young people are being recruited to extremist groups  through their friendship networks and via social media. Four girls from the  same school have tried to travel to Syria. Much more needs to be done through  community led programmes and work in schools, yet the Prime Minister is still  resisting supporting community led projects through the Prevent programme and  there still isn’t sufficient action from the Department of Education. Given  the clear evidence these girls had been contacting other ISIL recruits on  Twitter, we also need a Government strategy for counteracting radicalisation  on social media. And, although these girls were close friends with another  girl who has travelled to Syria, it seems not enough was being done to  monitor the open-source communications of the girl who had gone.
 
 “We also need urgent assurance that work is being done now in Bethnal Green  and other communities to reach and support other children, young people, and  families who may have links with people who have gone to Syria and who may be  being exploited or manipulated into following them. This is a very disturbing  situation and more needs to be done to protect young people from being drawn  into a vicious and brutal war.”
 
 
 

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