International Work on Areas of Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse
The following describes findings made of Yazidi women who have been brutally affected in their community by members of ISIS. Yazidism is a monotheistic religion tracing back to an endogamous and mostly Kurmanji-speaking minority in upper Mesopotamia, now present-day Northern Iraq.
TW: rape and violence
July 15th, 2021
License to Freedom
License to Freedom had the privilege and opportunity to extend their services abroad in the areas of Iraq and Kurdistan. We provided first -aid training and mental health services to promote open dialogue and healing. The majority of the Yazidi women and girls were sexually abused by ISIS in the city of Shangar, ranging from ages seven to fifty-five year old women. These women were stripped from their material belongings such as gold, jewelry and money and religious autonomy, and forced to convert from the Yazidi religion to Isis’s radical version of Islam. Many survivors experienced sexual assault multiple times by different men in ISIS. They recounted sex trafficking, family separation and public humiliation as commonplace in their experiences.
As a result, the majority of the participants are often widows with a maximum of five children. Many of the women were at high risk of mental health trauma living in the refugee camps. ISIS removed male support by killing Yazidi men in their community and taking young boys as young as 7 years and trained them to work against their communities. License to Freedom was honored to be apart of the learning and rebuilding process of the Yazidi community, which allowed us to understand and connect with those affected by this tragic reality. We thank the countless people who shared their experiences with us and allowed us to support them, and we thank those who have supported License to Freedom so far on our journey in providing help for our communities. If you would to continue supporting, please consider donating to our organization.
A Message from Executive Director Dilkhwaz Ahmed
I would like to thank the UN women for the great opportunity of allowing me to be part of their mission to help empower women in Kurdistan of Iraq to have a voice of their own. I had the privilege of going to Kurdistan of Iraq to start training in three cities, namely Sulaimanya, Arbil, and Duhuk. I was so inspired by the energy those young people had and their desire to learn and take what they have learned back to their communities. I am deeply honored to be able to give back to my homeland and help victim service agencies learn from my past experience and work. During my time there, I provided a two week training on Psychological First Aid to employees of organizations that work with displaced peoples.
I also would like to thank the Heartland Foundation for the great opportunity of allowing me to be part of their mission to help empower Yazidi women in Kurdistan of Iraq to provide accessibility of coping skills during their difficult times that would enable them to overcome their trauma. I had the privilege of going to Kurdistan of Iraq to start training in the city of Duhuk. I was so inspired by the energy of the Yazidi women and their eagerness to learn in order to help themselves and people around them. I am deeply honored to be able to give back to my homeland and empower Yazidi women. From my experience working with Middle Eastern women immigrants and refugees in the United States who experience victimization enabled me to connect and help the women with their healing process.