ISIS brides

On 7 May 2026, a group of women dubbed ‘ISIS brides’ by the media returned to Australia from Syria. Three members of this group were subsequently charged with terror-related and slavery offences. This post analyses the gendered language adopted by the media and politicians when speaking about these women and explores the potential implications of this language for future criminal proceedings. It argues that these criminal cases are an opportunity for Australia to demonstrate not only its commitment to prosecuting international crimes, but also its ability to do so in a gender-just manner.