Yazidi women: from slaves to survivors

The self-styled Islamic State, during its years of territorial expansion and development, pursued a war-military strategy that was astonishing for the capabilities that such a terrorist organisation had achieved throughout history. 

In the framework of this activity, its followers persecuted, raped and murdered an indiscriminate number of women from the Yazidi collective, who are considered infidels and one of the main enemies of this organisation. So much so that the UN qualified as genocide the war crimes committed by them against this community, specifically in Iraq between 2014 and 2017. 

To this day, Yazidi women and children have managed to survive and have been returned to their families or deported to other places, dragging a series of physical and mental health problems.
 

The "worshippers of God", as the Yazidi community is described and defined, are an ethno-religious group historically based in the province of Nineveh in northern Iraq and in other regions of the country, with Mosul being the centre of their gathering place.¹ However, there have been small communities scattered in different parts of the Middle East, such as Iran, Turkey and Syria.²

The Yazidis represent one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world, almost 5,000 years older than Christianity and almost 1,000 years older than the Jewish calendar. Yazidism, which is based on the belief in and divinity towards a single god: Malak Taus or Melek Taus.³The Peacock Angel, as he is also internationally recognised, is the divine centre of every Yazidi's faith. However, for Christianity, Islam and some other religions, this figure is identified as the representation of the devil and hell, i.e. Lucifer or Satan as he is also defined.⁴
 

The greatest sin and the worst possible fate for a member of such a religion is to be expelled from his community or conversion to another religion. According to their ideological and religious pillars, the progression of the soul and the purification of the soul is not possible if an individual does not choose the right path.⁵

Yazidism is considered to be one of the oldest religions in the world with nearly 7,000 years of existence and has been characterised by a rich history of ethno-cultural development and bravery in the face of all kinds of adverse scenarios. Constant persecution against this group has been a characteristic feature marking them since time immemorial, but they have still resisted the abandonment of their faith, identity and character.⁶ Also, throughout their formation and consolidation as a cultural and religious group, their members have adopted different traditions and practices from different religious and cultural branches such as Manichaeism, Christianity, Islam and Gnosticism, among others.⁷
 

Since 2014, when the Islamic State was self-proclaimed, the organisation began a military, political, religious and social deployment that expanded mainly in Iraq and Syria. In early August, Daesh militants attacked and captured a number of symbolic cities such as Sinjar and Kocho, which at the time had a large Yazidi representation.⁸ In the different cities where members of this community were found, they carried out a brutal genocide: Yazidi men were killed and sent to mass graves, while women and children were abducted. In addition, it is estimated that around 200,000 people managed to escape through the mountains and took refuge in Kurdish villages in Syrian territory.⁹

It is difficult to estimate an exact number of how many members of the community have survived and those who have lost their lives in these years of Daesh rule. However, there is no doubt that the number of the Yazidi population has been steadily decreasing due to the atrocities of the terrorist organisation, an internationally recognised genocide. Moreover, the fact that conversion to this religion does not exist means that the only way to become part of it is by direct link, which makes it even more difficult to increase the number of members and increasingly distant for them.  
 

It is difficult to estimate an exact number of how many members of the community have survived and those who have lost their lives in these years of Daesh rule. However, there is no doubt that the number of the Yazidi population has been steadily decreasing due to the atrocities of the terrorist organisation, an internationally recognised genocide. Moreover, the fact that conversion to this religion does not exist means that the only way to become part of it is by direct link, which makes it even more difficult to increase the number of members and increasingly distant for them.  

In Daesh ideology, the Yazidi community and therefore their religion are considered infidels because, as mentioned above, their monotheism, which points to the belief in and respect for the representation of the devil1 in Islam, allows them to enslave, rape and kill without denial any member of that religion. When ISIS invaded their lands, ISIS militants threatened the Yazidis with death if they did not convert to their branch of Islam, and none of them did so out of loyalty to their religious principles.¹⁰ In this way, as the organisation spread across these geographical areas, it produced a kind of domino effect, in which the religion and the community were wiped off the map step by step in each city that fell into their hands.
 

Women, boys and girls were the main victims of ISIS atrocities, as virtually all the men were killed. Trapped under the obligations that the fighters imposed on them, many were sold as slaves and sexual hostages, being repeatedly raped by different members of that organisation who had them cornered in their homes with their families. Also, the social conditions under the Caliphate should not be forgotten. As women, and even more so as slaves and hostages, they were not allowed to go out on their own or to appear with other men without the veil, which was compulsorily imposed on them. It is important to mention that the veil, within the Yazidi religion, is not part of the culture of the Yazidis.^{11 12}

Some of the testimonies collected from the survivors revealed their uncertainty as to who they would be bought by in the future and their loss of hope for what they were going through. Some of them say that the women who had the opportunity to escape from these situations did so with luck or contacts.¹³ Sometimes they were bought by combatants who simply kept them in their homes as hostages and did not make sexual use of them, leaving them free to be raped or abused constantly. Others, however, were acquired by contacts who managed to take them out of the territory controlled by the organisation at the time, thus allowing them to be placed in refugee camps or, if they were more fortunate, to relocate with their families.^{14 15}

Today, it seems that they have regained their freedom and continue to search for ways to erase the grim past they experienced during the rule of Daesh. Many of them lost track of their children in the hands of the slavery, abuse and rape that the terrorist organisation's fighters exercised over them. Others, accompanied by their children in some cases, have left the territories they once inhabited, passing through refugee camps and now trying to reintegrate into today's societies in different ways. 
 

Although Daesh has lost control over these territories, eight years later, some of them continue to carry a series of psychological problems and physical wounds that have marked a before and after in their lives. Women and girls who faced slavery, torture, rape and sexual abuse are deeply traumatised by their inhumane experiences. Most of them are struggling to find a solution to this problem. Major challenges today are the lack of medical and psychological assistance in the refugee camps in which they find themselves, as well as others who are still trying to find their missing family members.

However, their resilience appears to be a light at the end of the road. Several projects, actions, associations and organisations are working on their social reintegration.

One of the main actions taken began last March when the Iraqi government passed a law to protect the women of this community, those victims who have suffered the practices mentioned above and are currently in Iraq trying to survive.¹⁶ In Germany, too, society has also been cooperating from a different perspective. Many groups from the Yazidi community are running a series of groups that provide cultural and religious support and representation for Yazidis, fostering community life in the European state.¹⁷ In Turkey, small Yazidi communities are rebuilding their villages and homes, reviving the values that characterise them: courage and struggle against all odds.¹⁸

On the other hand, organisations such as Y.E.S (Yezidi Emergency Support), contribute through refugee camps, particularly those in Kurdistan and Iraq, where most of the displaced are located. This association mainly works constantly in camps and settlements, assisting Yazidi women and children, but it is also those who collaborate with foreign agents in order to continue building a sustainable path towards social reincorporation.¹⁹

Such events mirror the current context that this community is facing in different corners of the world. However, it is those women who years ago were detained as slaves, who now stand up as survivors and referents of a culture which does not cease to resist.  

Brian Blacher Ancis : Master in Radicalisation Prevention

Contributor to Sec2Crime's Armed Conflict Area https://www.sec2crime.com/blog/

[1] Eislund, S. (2019, 24 de junio). Yazidism. World History Encyclopedia. Recuperado de https://www.ancient.eu/Yazidism/ 
[2] Pir Bari, D. Who Are the Yezidis?. Free Yezidi Foundation. Recuperado de https://www.freeyezidi.org/who-are-the-yezidis/
[3] Religion. Yazidi Cultural Heritage Project. Recuperado de https://www.yazidiculturalheritage.com/religion/  
[4] Religion. Yazidi Cultural Heritage Project. Recuperado de https://www.yazidiculturalheritage.com/religion/
[5] Who Are the Yazidis, the Ancient, Persecuted Religious Minority Struggling to Survive in Iraq? (2014, 11 de Agosto). National Geographic. Recuperado de https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/140809-iraq-yazidis-minority-isil-religion-history 
[6] Yezidis (2017). Minority Rights Group International. Recuperado de https://minorityrights.org/minorities/yezidis/
[7] Who are the Yazidis? (2018, 10 de abril). DW. Recuperado de https://www.dw.com/en/who-are-the-yazidis/a-43324003
[8] Who Are the Yazidis, the Ancient, Persecuted Religious Minority Struggling to Survive in Iraq?. Ob. Cit. 
[9] UN: On third anniversary of “Islamic State” attack on Yazidis, genocide continues (2017, 3 de agosto). DW. Recuperado de https://www.dw.com/en/un-on-third-anniversary-of-islamic-state-attack-on-yazidis-genocide-continues/a-39958349
[10] Yazidíes, la minoría religiosa cercada en una montaña de Irak (2014, 7 de agosto). BBC. Recuperado de https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias/2014/08/140807_irak_yazidies_estado_islamico_jp [11] Rodicio, A. (Ed.). (2016). Las novias de la Yihad. Editorial Espasa Libros.
[12] Las mujeres yazidíes recuperan su vida tras el “infierno” del Dáesh (2019, 5 de mayo). Euronews. Recuperado de https://es.euronews.com/2019/03/08/las-mujeres-yazidies-recuperan-su-vida-tras-el-infierno-del-daesh 
[13] Las novias de la Yihad. Ob. Cit. 
[14] EU human rights prize-winners: this brings “honor and dignity” to the Yazidi women (2016, 13 de diciembre). DW. Recuperado de https://www.dw.com/en/eu-human-rights-prize-winners-this-brings-honor-and-dignity-to-the-yazidi-women/a-36747512
[15] Las novias de la Yihad. Ob. Cit. 

[16] Irak aprueba una ley para proteger a las mujeres yazidís secuestradas por el EI (2021, 1 de marzo). El Periódico. Recuperado de https://www.elperiodico.com/es/internacional/20210301/irak-aprueba-ley-proteger-mujeres-11552187
[17] Chick, K. (2020, 24 de agosto). A Radical German Program Promised a Fresh Start to Yazidi Survivors of ISIS Captivity. But Some Women Are Still Longing for Help. Time. Recuperado de https://time.com/5878967/yazidi-woman-germany-program/ 
[18] Rullán, M. (2020, 30 de junio). Los yazidíes vuelven a casa, a pesar de las bombas, el EI y la pandemia. La Vanguardia. Recuperado de https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20200630/482033432402/los-yazidies-vuelven-a-casa-a-pesar-de-las-bombas-el-ei-y-la-pandemia.html
[19] What we do. Yezidi Emergency Support. Recuperado de http://yezidiemergencysupport.org/what-we-do/