Farah was exposed to ISIS propaganda on the internet. Tempted by the promise of a more decent life with adequate social services, she left for Syria with 26 members of her family and one child in 2015. 

Getting into Syria was not easy; it cost her everything she had. She also had her passport and Indonesian identity card confiscated by the guards at the border, so that she could not be identified by other authorities and be tempted to escape. After spending more than a year in Syria, she and her family realized that they were not going to receive any of the services that were promised to them.

In August 2017, Farah and her family were able to return to Indonesia after handing themselves over to the Indonesian government. They were placed at a house in Depok close to the National Counter Terrorism Agency (BNPT) office and questioned by Densus, a special detachment on anti-terror. Today, Farah and her family are continuing to rebuild their lives.

To tackle the challenges related to returnees, countries will need to develop clear policies that conform to the rule of law and international human rights standards. The main aim should be to prevent future violence and support returnee reintegration into communities that do not support extremism. Reintegration requires a pragmatic approach that recognizes it is easier to persuade people to abandon violence than to change their deepest religious or social beliefs.