The Dutch Moroccan association SMN on Monday launched a telephone helpline and website for parents who are worried their children have become radicalised and may go to fight in Syria, the Volkskrant reports.
These parents ‘have little trust in government, are unsure about their own role in educating their children and are afraid of stigma,’ said SMN spokesman Farid Azarkan. ‘They need someone to listen to them but often suffer in silence.’
The helpline has been set up without government subsidies so that worried parents can talk to experts without the involvement of the authorities.
This means they need not fear their children’s passports will be cancelled or that younger children and grandchildren will be put into care, Azarkan said.
Families of youngsters without Moroccan origins are also welcome to use the service.