“I wonder if the world has forgotten my loved ones. As a survivor myself, I cannot forget. I feel their suffering every single day.”
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In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide, Nadia’s Initiative is sharing a series of survivor stories to highlight the impact of the genocide at an individual level. While these stories are harrowing, they shine a light on the incredible resilience of survivors. The first story features Pakiza, a survivor who lost her husband to the genocide, and who has sacrificed everything to give her nine children a better future.
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After a decade of displacement in IDP camps, hundreds of Yazidi families have returned to their homeland in Sinjar, with many more on their way. These families are coming back to homes that were looted and destroyed by ISIS in 2014. Despite some notable progress in restoring infrastructure and basic services, the community still requires substantial support from the Iraqi government and the international community to rebuild their homes, restore their livelihoods, and access employment opportunities.
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This week, Nadia Murad was joined by survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), Mr. Winfried Kretschmann, Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg, and Ms. Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, to unveil the “Mother & Justice” Mobile Memorial.
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To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, Nadia joined U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, fellow survivors, and experts at the White House to call for more robust accountability mechanisms and survivor-centered approaches in the fight to end conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV).
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With generous support from UAE Aid, Nadia’s Initiative (NI) worked with Dorcas Aid to rehabilitate WASH infrastructure in 10 villages across Sinjar. This support provided a lifeline to families (nearly 20,000 individuals in total) throughout the region, helping them access clean water and meet their daily needs.
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Today marks a significant step in honoring and remembering the thousands of Yazidi and Shiite lives brutally taken by ISIS in one of the darkest chapters in recent history. In the summer of 2014, ISIS launched devastating attacks in Iraq, leading to the massacre of thousands, particularly targeting Yazidis in Sinjar and Shiites in Tal Afar. Among the most horrific atrocities was the mass killing at Alo Antar in the town of Tal Afar, where 1,500-2,000 were murdered, including women and children, and subsequently buried in a mass grave.
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Human rights activist and recipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, Nadia Murad, has graduated from American University in Washington D.C. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology after completing a 4-year degree course alongside her advocacy and development work. Nadia was the first person in her family to attend high school in her homeland of Sinjar, Iraq. However, her education was disrupted by the invasion of ISIS and the subsequent genocide of her Yazidi community.
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On Wednesday 10th April 2024, the German authorities arrested two alleged members of ISIS, on suspicion of genocide and crimes against humanity for enslaving two Yazidi girls. The crimes allegedly carried out against these two young girls by the pair were horrifying. No little girl should ever be taken from her family and physically and sexually abused. No perpetrator should be allowed to go unpunished for these actions.
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South of Sinjar Mountain, the small village of Wardiya is in the midst of a remarkable renewal.
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Nadia engages in a conversation on the fight for justice for Yazidi women with the Cambridge Journal of Law, Politics, and Art.
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Nadia Murad met recently with the U.S. Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken. As the 10th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide approaches, the pair discussed the importance of holding the perpetrators to account. Nadia highlighted the need for justice, not just for the Yazidi victims and survivors of ISIS atrocities, but for all victims of conflict-related sexual violence.
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TIME named Nadia's Initiative Founder and President, Nadia Murad as one of its 2024 Women of the Year. The list recognizes extraordinary leaders fighting for a more equal world. In her interview with the magazine, Nadia spoke of her desire for justice and, "an end to the systematic use of violence against women and girls.”
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As the remains of 41 additional victims of the 2014 Yazidi genocide are returned to their families to be laid to rest in Sinjar, we call on the Iraqi government to create a team of professionals dedicated specifically to the exhumation of mass graves in Sinjar, and to do so expeditiously.
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A year ago this week, the German parliament made an important decision by officially recognizing the Yazidi genocide at the hands of ISIS in 2014. That decision gave renewed hope to Yazidis across the world, especially the Yazidi diaspora in Germany. Many Yazidis, especially survivors of genocide and sexual violence, hoped that this decision would mean more sympathy and support for the Yazidi community. However, in the months since this decision was taken, the federal government of Germany and some local governments have refused asylum applications for thousands of Yazidis living in Germany and forcibly deported tens of Yazidis from Germany to Iraq.
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As a survivor of conflict-related sexual violence and genocide I am overwhelmed and saddened by the severity of conflict we have witnessed across the world this year. Nearly a quarter of the world’s population resides in areas torn apart with conflict and thousands of children (1 in every 6) are exposed to conflict. This is a staggering number and completely unacceptable by any standard.
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Watch to learn more about what Nadia’s Initiative has been working on this year in Sinjar.
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Appearing on CNN'S GPS with Fareed Zakaria, Nadia Murad, and her counsel Amal Clooney, outlined the civil case they have filed against conglomerate Lafarge.
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Hundreds of Yazidi-Americans today filed a lawsuit against French conglomerate Lafarge S.A. for conspiring to provide material support to a campaign of terrorism conducted by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (“ISIS”) against the Yazidi population. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in the Eastern District of New York under the civil provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act, seeks to hold Lafarge accountable for its admitted criminal conspiracy with ISIS and to obtain justice for the Yazidi people. Barrister Amal Clooney filed the lawsuit, and Nobel Prize winner and human rights activist Nadia Murad is the lead plaintiff in the case.
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In late November Nadia made her first trip to Eastern Europe, visiting Hungary and Romania. In both countries she was invited to receive an honorary degree in recognition of her advocacy work.
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