About 20 per cent of âextremist travellersâ who left Canada to join the Islamic State or other terror groups are women, according to a federal report on terrorist threats to the country.
, released Thursday, says that women have taken their children to conflict zones in some cases.
âIt is often unclear which roles women who travel to Syria perform,â the report says. âThe most commonly held assumption is that women travel abroad to marry terrorists, but the reasons for travel and eventual roles vary.â
Some women may occupy âsecondary rolesâ within terrorist groups, while others could end up taking part in combat, the report says.
The increased participation of women in terrorism-related activities is cited as one of âemerging issuesâ in the fight against ISIS and other terror groups. Technological advances that allow militants to easily spread their propaganda online, as well as the use of chemical weapons in Syria, are also listed as growing threats in the report.
Former national security analyst Stephanie Carvin said itâs not surprising to see women joining terror groups abroad. But the number of women leaving from Canada raises questions about the federal governmentâs approach when it comes to counter-terror and de-radicalization programs, she said.
âAre they going to want to target women differently or treat them differently under these programs?â Carvin, an assistant professor at Carleton Universityâs Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, told CTVNews.ca.
According to the report, the number of people with connections to Canada who were abroad and suspected of engaging in terrorism-related activities had risen to 180 by the end of 2015. In 2014, the federal government had reported 130 such individuals.
More than half of those âextremist travellersâ are believed to be in Turkey, Iraq or Syria, the report says. At the end of 2015, Ottawa knew of about 60 such individuals who had returned to Canada.
âThe experiences and intentions of these individuals vary,â the report says. âThey may have skills, experience and relationships developed abroad that could be used to recruit or inspire individuals in Canada. They may also engage in terrorist financing, helping others to travel, or even planning attacks in Canada.â
However, the report notes that extremist travellers represent âonly one aspect of the terrorist threat to Canada.â There are many other âindividuals of concernâ for the government, including those who aspire to join ISIS, or whose travel plans have been thwarted.
There are also those who have no plans to travel abroad, âbut could still pose a threat to Canadaâs security,â the report says.
âThe principal terrorist threat to Canada remains that posed by violent extremists who could be inspired to carry out an attack in Canada.â
The challenge for the government, Carvin said, is that a potential terror suspect is ânot one person, one profile, one ethnicity, or one age group.
âYes, a lot of them tend to be young men, but thatâs about it and thatâs not very useful when youâre trying to come up with a (counter-terror) program,â she said.
Understanding the multitude of factors that can lead to radicalization is a good start for developing a successful anti-terror program, Carvin said. And Canada is already at an advantage because it is âone of the leading countries in studying what works in terms of countering violent extremism,â she said.
The Public Safety report on terror threatscomes two weeks after the death of a Strathroy, Ont., man suspected of planning a terrorist attack. Aaron Driver, 24, made threats against Canada in a martyrdom video before detonating an explosive device in the back of a taxi as tactical teams surrounded his residence. Driver, who had previously been placed on a peace bond after expressing support for Islamic State militants, died of a gunshot wound during the police operation.
Since 2002, 20 people have been convicted of terrorism offences in Canada. Another 21 have been charged with terrorism-related offences, including 16 since January 2015.
"Canadians expect their government to take all necessary steps to keep them safe, while safeguarding our values, our rights and freedoms and the open, inclusive democratic character of our country,â Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said in a statement Thursday.
âFundamental to effective national security is a solid understanding among Canadians of the threats we face.â
Canadaâs national terrorism threat level remains at âmediumâ and has been unchanged since the fall of 2014, when two members of Canadian Armed Forces lost their lives in separate attacks in Ottawa and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.
Carvin said the governmentâs report is âby and large very balancedâ in discussing terror threats in Canada. But she said she was surprised that the report didnât touch on other types of threats to public safety, such as right-wing, left-wing or single-issue extremism.
âItâs strange that those kinds of groups were not included, and it may have something to do with the way the security community is rebalancing itself post-2014 October attacks,â Carvin said.
