Victorian police tasked with investigating individuals who might pose a security risk have identified a trend among some young women, who've formed a "romantic view" of the terror group and decided to flee to Syria.
Assistant Commissioner Tracy Linford said most of the 12 were aged 18 to 20, with five making it to Syria, four turned back in Turkey, one stopped in Australia and two unaccounted for.
"They think they will be put on a pedestal and treated very well overseas but the reality is that is not the case," Asst Comm Linford told reporters on Friday.
"Some of these women are forced into arranged marriages, sexual servitude and are living in squalid conditions often on rations."
Earlier she told the Herald Sun other such cases were likely.
"I suspect there are more than 12, but these are the ones we have a good understanding of."
Since Taskforce Pax was set up in April, it's seen a dramatic ramp up in tip offs - from 30 to 50 calls per month to more than 300 in the wake of recent terror raids.
Asst Comm Linford said the two forensic psychologists on the taskforce were playing a key role in helping paint a more comprehensive picture of the security environment.
"This gives us the chance to focus on identifying those youths most at risk of radicalisation and to engage with them or their families directly," she said.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) this week said the rate at which Australians were joining Islamic State had slowed after a rapid increase last year.
"They're just ticking over but increasing in very small numbers," ASIO director-general Duncan Lewis told a Senate hearing.
"It is going up but it's a very gentle rise."
He said there were now about 100 Australians involved in the conflict, but the increase in numbers did not represent "a net increase of exodus from Australia".
He also revealed there were between 30 and 40 Australian women - some in the Middle East and some in Australia - who are supportive of Islamic State, including by way of fundraising and recruiting.
IS 'targetting young Australians'
Parliamentary secretary Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, who is responsible for engaging the community in the fight against terrorism, on Friday said Islamic State was targeting young Australians in a very deliberate way.
"We are seeing a very carefully orchestrated program by Daesh (IS) and its supporters in Australia and online ... targeting young people who may be at the margins," she told ABC radio.
Federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne on Friday said senior education officials will be part of efforts to prevent the radicalisation of Australian schoolchildren.
Share
