Iraq: Yazidi girls, women abducted by IS face 'harrowing' sexual violence
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 23 December 2014 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Iraq: Yazidi girls, women abducted by IS face 'harrowing' sexual violence, 23 December 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/54be133e4.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
December 23, 2014
Iraqi Yazidi women who fled the violence in the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar sit outside a school where they are taking shelter in the Kurdish city of Dohuk in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region.
In a new report, Amnesty International says women and girls from Iraq's Yazidi religious minority have endured "horrifying abuse," including rape and other forms of sexual violence, at the hands of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group after they were taken as slaves last summer.
The report issued on December 23 is based on interviews with more than 40 former captives who were among thousands of Yazidi minority members captured by IS militants in August when the militants overran the town of Sinjar.
The London-based group says the captives, including girls aged 10-12, faced torture, rape, forced marriage, and were sold or given as gifts to IS fighters or their supporters in Iraq and Syria.
Fearful of rape, some captives committed suicide.
Many of the captives were forced to convert to Islam.
Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and dpa
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
