What obligation does the Australian government have to help retrieve its citizens from debilitating circumstances, overseas?

This question will be at the heart of a High Court case on Monday, which will help decide the fate of 12 Australian women, and their 22 children, who’ve been languishing in refugee camps in Northern Syria for five years.

To those who have opposed bringing them home, the women are a threat - the family members of slain or defeated Islamic State fighters who may believe in dangerous ideologies.

But to those who say they should be repatriated, they are victims of war. 

Today, associate editor and special writer Deborah Snow on what distinguishes these women from those before them, who were successfully brought home to Australia.

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