SGBV

When I was here in December 2015, I testified about crimes of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) committed against me and the Yazidi community. I told the Council about how ISIS attacked my village of Kocho, how they rounded up all the men and killed more than 700 of them in a single day, including six of my brothers. I told the Council that my mother was killed along with other older women. I also recounted that I was enslaved by ISIS for sexual slavery, along with more than 6,000 other Yazidi women and children. I spoke about my ordeal — how we were bought, sold and treated like property. I also explained how I was raped by ISIS militants multiple times per day.

Since I first sat before the Council, the ISIS genocidal campaign against Yazidis has continued. As of today, more than 3,000 Yazidis remain in captivity. More than 350,000 Yazidis, along with more than 1.5 million other refugees, continue to live under difficult conditions in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. In my own family, two of my sisters-in-law, two nieces and two nephews are still hostages of ISIS. A year ago, my beloved niece Katherine was killed in an explosion as she attempted to escape ISIS territory on foot. She was just 18-years old.

Women and children in conflict areas are sacrificed instead of being protected.