Nadia Murad and Angelina Jolie Meet Genocide Survivors in Iraq

 Wednesday, February 01, 2023

Nadia Murad and Angelina Jolie made a joint visit to the Sinjar region of northern Iraq to mark progress made to redevelop the region and highlight the needs of survivors eight years after the Yazidi genocide at the hands of the Islamic State (ISIS).

The pair spent a day visiting Nadia’s village, her former school, and her childhood home, as well as Sinjar Kindergarten, Sinjar City, the new Sinjar Medical Center, and other project sites where sustainable, community-driven, and survivor-centric recovery efforts led by Nadia’s Initiative are underway. They visited the village of Tel Qasab and met with direct beneficiaries of Nadia’s Initiative’s clean water and education projects. On their way to Sinjar City, they stopped by a farm run by a woman whose land was comprehensively restored by the Initiative and who now earns a sustainable livelihood.  

Angelina and Nadia spoke to women and children who survived the genocide, many of whom are also survivors of sexual enslavement and have returned to Sinjar in the hopes of building a better future for themselves and their families. They also met members of other Iraqi communities affected by conflict and displacement. 

In August 2014, the Yazidi ethno-religious minority community in Sinjar was attacked by ISIS in a systematic attempt to erase them from existence. Thousands of people were killed, hundreds of thousands were displaced, and more than 6,000 women and children were enslaved. 80% of public and 70% of private infrastructure in Sinjar was destroyed, in an attempt to prevent survivors from safely returning to their areas of origin. 

“Angelina Jolie has been instrumental in helping raise awareness and meet the needs of women, children, and refugees throughout the world,” said Nadia Murad, founder and president of Nadia’s Initiative. “I relish the opportunity to show such a dedicated advocate my homeland, the incredible progress we have made toward recovery, and the remaining needs of my community.”

Angelina Jolie said, “I’m honored to return to Iraq, this time to support the work of my friend Nadia Murad and other local Yazidis who are rebuilding their lives and communities after enduring horrors. I have witnessed the progress they have made, but also the need for long-term international commitment to support their work and leadership. Yazidi survivors continue to struggle with trauma, insecurity, displacement, and slow progress on reparations. I met families who are still searching for answers about their loved ones who are missing, and others who still lack support to meet their basic needs. Local people here are working to help themselves. They deserve respect and support.” 

Women and children are disproportionately affected by violence globally. Nadia’s Initiative’s post-conflict redevelopment projects are designed to center the specific needs and perspectives of survivors and vulnerable groups recovering from conflict-related sexual violence and genocide. 

About Angelina Jolie:

Angelina Jolie is an advocate, humanitarian, and filmmaker. She has spent over two decades working to defend the rights of refugees and other displaced people, address impunity for violence against women and girls, and advocate for access to rights, education, and safety for vulnerable children, including over 20 years with the UN High Commission for Refugees, where she served as Special Envoy. She has carried out over 60 field missions to refugees worldwide. The visit to Sinjar is Angelina’s 6th visit to meet displaced people in Iraq since 2007. Her last visit was to Mosul in June 2018, less than a year after the city’s liberation from ISIS forces. 

About Nadia Murad:

Nadia Murad is a Nobel Peace Laureate and survivor of genocide and sexual violence who advocates for gender equality, prevention of conflict-related sexual violence, and rebuilding communities in crisis. She is the founder and president of Nadia’s Initiative, the first UNODC Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking, and was a driving force behind the drafting and passing of UN Security Council Resolution 2379, which established the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD). She is the author of her best-selling memoir, “The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State.”

About Nadia’s Initiative:

Nadia’s Initiative is an international NGO dedicated to rebuilding communities in crisis and advocating globally for survivors of sexual violence. Its current work is focused on the sustainable redevelopment of the Yazidi homeland in Sinjar, Iraq. Nadia’s Initiative works with the local community and a variety of implementing partners on the ground in Sinjar to design and support projects that promote the restoration of education, healthcare, livelihoods, WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene), culture, and women’s empowerment in the region. All Nadia’s Initiative programs are community-driven, survivor centric, and work to promote long term peacebuilding. Nadia’s Initiative advocates governments and international organizations to support efforts to rebuild Sinjar, seek justice for Yazidis, improve security in the region, and support survivors of sexual violence worldwide.