Survival after Sexual Violence and Genocide: Trauma and Healing for Yazidi Women in Northern Iraq

Abstract

Introduction: In August 2014, the Yazidi community of Sinjar, in the Nineveh Governorate of Northern Iraq, was brutally targeted by the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) for annihilation through murder, torture, and the systematic and premeditated use of rape and sexual slavery of Yazidi women. In 2016, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights concluded that ISIS was committing genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes against Yazidis. Methods: Using current international literature, which includes reviews, qualitative interviews of survivors, and reports from medical and humanitarian actors, this paper explores the short and potentially long-term physical and mental health consequences of the extreme physical and sexual violence and atrocities perpetrated against Yazidi women. Results: Yazidi women survivors of kidnapping, sex slavery, and rape experienced significant levels of physical ailments, chronic pain, and mental health conditions. All women reported feelings of guilt, stress, insomnia, and severe flashbacks. The incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) ranged from 42% to 90%. Sixty-seven percent suffered from a somatoform disorder, 53% had depression, 39% experienced anxiety, and 28% suffered from dissociation. Conclusions: Sexual violence against women is a common tool systematically employed during wars and genocide. In recent ISIS attacks, intentional perpetration of mass rapes of women and execution of men was a strategy to destroy an entire population.

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Resilience and Hope Among Yazidi Women Released From ISIS Enslavement

“…Although the direct applicability is limited because of different age and population groups, it nonetheless highlights the importance social support and connection can play in fostering positive responses. A previous study on Yazidi women found that less social support (due to more time spent dislocated from family) and more experiences of sexual violence may increase perceived social rejection from the community due to humiliation and violation of family honor (Goodman et al, 2020). Indeed, in collectivist societies such as the Yazidis, the influence of systems such as the family, religion, and community can play both positive and negative influence on posttraumatic psychological outcomes (Nugent et al, 2014).…”