Opinion: 'I am a survivor of Islamic State violence. Don’t forget us.'
Iraqi Nadia Murad, the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner, speaks last month during a ceremony marking the beginning of unearthing the first mass grave of Yazidi victims in Sinjar in northern Iraq. By Nadia Murad April 4 at 3:09 PM Nadia Murad is a Yazidi activist and advocate for survivors of genocide and sexual violence. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018.
Last month, the White House announced that the Islamic State’s “territorial caliphate has been eliminated in Syria.” But Yazidis and other survivors know that even though the Islamic State has been weakened, the gaping wounds it left behind still exist. Unless survivors of Islamic State violence are heard, supported and made part of the reconciliation process, Iraq and Syria will never heal.
Sinjar is not secure. Militias still patrol the region and there is no central control. Access to necessities such as food and clean water is limited. Towns that are lucky enough to still have school buildings don’t have enough teachers. Hospitals destroyed in battle have not been rebuilt. Iraq must also prosecute Islamic State fighters for sexual violence and other crimes committed during the genocide, not just for vague charges of terrorism. Without acknowledging the rape that was part of our enslavement, Yazidis and other survivors will struggle to move forward. Tribunals established decades ago in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda can be our models for justice.
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