Professor Gerrit Loots, alongside the non-profit organisation Jihad of the Mothers, received the Human Rights Award from the Belgian state. They received this honour for their sustained action to repatriate children and their parents from war-torn Syria.
Gerrit in particular is praised for going beyond the slogans, and surpassing the defensive attitudes inspired by fear, and the political powerlessness which seems to prevail.
He brings a rationality to an emotional, political debate and clearly states that not bringing back these children and their parents would be dangerous.
Gerrit Loots is a professor with a deeply theoretical and practical knowledge of research on mother-child relations, psychotherapy and behaviour of children at risk.
This in-depth interview delves further into the debate, and gets to the details behind the idea of repatriating these families.
What follows is an honest overview of Gerrit’s work, his thinking, and his actions. An eye-opening read.
Read the full in-depth interview online in Diplomatic World.