Australian women are fleeing overseas to be Jihadi brides.

By Susan McDonald, ABC.

Up to 40 Australian women are known to have taken part in or supported terrorist activity in Syria, Iraq and Australia, including so-called “jihadi brides”, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says.

Ms Bishop confirmed the figure in Parliament while pointing to an “increasing number of young females” joining Islamic State, despite them being used as sexual slaves and in some cases as suicide bombers.

“More women are either joining their foreign fighter husbands or apparently seeking to find partners, the so-called jihadi brides, or are otherwise providing support for terrorist organisations,” Ms Bishop said.

She said women now account for nearly one-fifth of all foreign fighters, with over 500 believed to have come from western countries.

“This defies logic… given we know the attitude of Daesh towards women,” she said, using an alternative Arabic name for Islamic State.

“If the killings and executions aren’t enough, Daesh has published instructions on the treatment of sexual slaves, which includes raping and beating women.

“Even children are not immune, with instructions encouraging sexual assault on girls who have not yet reached puberty.”

Related content: A 15 year-old girl has fled to fight with ISIS. This is her father’s heartbreaking message.

Ms Bishop urged families to help prevent their daughters being radicalised.

“Family and friends are likely to be the first to see changes in young people who are radicalising,” she said.

“Family and friends need to reach out to young people at risk before it’s too late.

“The Government will work with them.”

She also said Australia had such stories, pointing to the 22-year-old woman from the Gold Coast who was murdered within days of arriving in Syria last year.

Related story: ISIS published a rule-book on how to live as a woman.

Amira Karroum travelled to Syria to join her husband Tyler Casey on the frontline, but was executed in Aleppo.

The Government last year introduced a raft of legislation aimed at stopping would-be jihadists from travelling to the Middle East, including the Foreign Fighters Bill, which made it illegal to travel to areas declared as terrorist zones without a specific humanitarian or family purpose.

Australians found to be illegally visiting the region could face up to 10 years in prison.

Ms Bishop used provisions under the bill to declare it an offence for Australians to visit the Al-Raqqa province in Syria without a legitimate reason.

This article originally appeared on the ABC and was republished here with full permission.