Social Action and Community Media - Stacey Meets the IS Brides

Stacey Meets the IS Brides 

 

In Stacey Dooley's BBC documentary Stacey Meets the IS Brides, available on BBC iPlayer, the journalist visits Syrian Camps, where radicalized brides of IS fighters are currently residing, in order to gain an understanding of what life for these women was like under the reign of the extremist group. The documentary gives a raw insight into the experiences of these women as well as the dangers of the camp, with Dooley mentioning that she needed to have armed guards with her at all times following the fatal stabbing of one of the camp's female guards shortly before her arrival. The programme aims to educate the British public on how these women came to be IS brides, their experiences and how they live in the camps following the defeat of the group. This is delivered through interviews with residents as well as clips from propaganda videos and footage from around the camp. While many women are unwilling to speak to Dooley for fear of punishment or affecting their chances of someday returning to their home country, she manages to have an emotional heart-to-heart with a mother who allegedly regrets moving to Syria and wants her children to have a better life - even if that means that they must be seperated. Dooley aims to break down the stereotypes surrounding the IS brides by showing that they are still human, and scenes of the children growing up in this tense environment appeals that something needs to be done to resolve the controversial issue of what should happen to these families. Being presented by Stacey Dooley gives this documentary a modern edge, allowing it to appeal to a younger audience. Having a modern woman at the forefront of this serious topic means that It is shown in a fresh way, with Dooley's interviewing techniques meaning that the audience gets a genuine, stripped back view of what's really happening at these IS bride containment camps. The BBC have broadcast this programme to the general British public, being a British channel, and the documentary further appeals to this audience as Dooley tries to find IS brides originally from the United Kingdom to speak to about their experiences living amongst IS fighters. 

 

This documentary is designed to have a positive impact on the British public, and some to make viewers gain a more compassionate stance on the debate as to what should be done about the IS brides. Dooley herself even expressed her views, saying that she felt as though help should be given to these women. Emotive scenes of a mother in a camp's healthcare centre with her sick child are designed to stir a sense of empathy in the audience, while another mother cries as she speaks about how she wants a better life for her children. However, the programme allows the viewers some room to form their own views as - being publicly funded - the BBC isn't tied to any political stance of viewpoint and so doesn't need to promote any particular message because of this. A scene in which Dooley confronts one of the brides through a fence shows that, despite the more human scenes shown, the environment is still hostile and dangerous. 

 

Dooley's visit to some of Syria's IS bride camps should serve as an eye-opener to show that grooming can happen to anyone. The nationalities and ages of the residents are so diverse, with women from over fifty different countries living there. Some of the women moved to Syria as teenagers, while others joined the extremist group as middle aged adults. One woman in her forties admitted to coming to the country to be with a man she had fallen for after meeting him online. She swore that is she had gotten an indication that he was bloodthirsty then she would have gone "running". Her conversation allowed the audience to see that it isn't just young people that have been conditioned to accept extremist views. 

 

All in all, this documentary proved to be an interesting watch, and allowed a previously unknown look into the lives of these women and the efforts being made to deradicalize them.