I'm happy to speak to this issue of repatriation as well.
As Dr. Al-Kassem had said, there's a very concerning situation of COVID-19 cases within Syria. In particular, in northeast Syria we're seeing really concerning numbers on how the war and these cases are impacting Syrian children, as well as the 25 children who are residing in northeast Syria as well.
With this large group of children who are there, we were very happy to see the Canadian government take steps to bring back the Canadian child trapped in northeast Syria. We're proud as Save the Children to have cared for that child in the camp for approximately 10 months and to support the Canadian government to bring that child home.
However, this is a role of governments. Governments need to ensure the care of their citizens and ensure that they are able to facilitate the process. NGOs and local organizations cannot move children across borders, or they veer into the space of trafficking. It's very important that the many stakeholders that can be involved with this, including organizations that are taking care of these children, are involved. It's important that the Canadian government develop steps and processes, as they have for the child that was repatriated last month, to ensure that it is bringing its citizens home.
These children have lived through horrific incidents. The war and now COVID are very much impacting them. It's important that they be brought home to Canada.