Escape from Hell: Torture, Sexual Slavery, and the Unimaginable Horror Faced by Yezidi Women Under the Islamic State
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Horrors faced by Yezidi women under IS: sexual violence, slavery, and torture. Justice and healing for survivors demand urgent global action.
The stories emerging from the Islamic State’s reign of terror in Iraq are a brutal reminder of the depths of human cruelty. Among the most harrowing accounts are those of Yezidi women and girls, whose lives were violently shattered by torture, sexual violence, and unimaginable suffering. The world must not turn away from the horrors inflicted on these women—stories that demand justice, healing, and unwavering commitment to humanity’s shared values.
A Harrowing Campaign of Ethnic Cleansing
In August, a dark wave of terror swept across the Sinjar region in northwestern Iraq. Armed fighters of the Islamic State (IS), driven by an ideology of extermination, unleashed a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Yezidis, a religious minority with roots stretching back thousands of years. The Yezidis were targeted for their ethnicity and faith, deemed an affront to IS’s twisted version of Islam.
Thousands of Yezidis were slaughtered, but the fate of the women and girls was uniquely devastating. Abducted, enslaved, and subjected to unspeakable violence, their suffering epitomizes the barbarity of IS’s agenda. These atrocities are not only war crimes but crimes against humanity—systematic attempts to obliterate an entire community through terror and degradation.
Rape as a Weapon of War
The accounts of sexual violence emerging from IS captivity are gut-wrenching. Women and girls, some as young as 10, were “sold,” “gifted,” or forcibly “married” to IS fighters. These terms mask the brutal reality: they were treated as property, dehumanized, and subjected to relentless sexual abuse.
IS fighters weaponized rape, using it not merely as an act of violence but as a tool of domination and humiliation. Survivors recount being forced to convert to Islam under threat of death, adding another layer of psychological torment to their physical suffering.
Donatella Rovera, Amnesty International’s Senior Crisis Response Advisor, interviewed over 40 former captives. Her findings reveal the staggering scale of this violence. “Hundreds of Yezidi women and girls have had their lives shattered by the horrors of sexual violence,” she said. “Many of those held as sexual slaves are children—14, 15, or even younger.”
Survivors Driven to Despair
For many captives, the horrors of IS captivity were so unbearable that death seemed the only escape. Nineteen-year-old Jilan, held in Mosul, took her own life to avoid the looming threat of rape. Her tragic death underscores the extreme psychological toll endured by these women and girls. One witness, a girl who shared Jilan’s captivity, described the desperate conditions: “Jilan killed herself in the bathroom. She cut her wrists and hanged herself. She was very beautiful; I think she knew she was going to be taken away by a man and that is why she killed herself.”
Other women, like Wafa, a 27-year-old survivor, also attempted suicide. Wafa recounted how she and her sister tried to strangle themselves with scarves one night after their captor threatened them with forced marriage. Their despair reflects the crushing weight of captivity and the unimaginable fear of further abuse.
The Stigma and Silence Surrounding Sexual Violence
For Yezidi survivors, the trauma doesn’t end with escape. Many return to communities that struggle to accept them, burdened by the stigma surrounding rape. In cultures where “honor” is often tied to a woman’s purity, survivors face ostracization and rejection, compounding their pain.
Randa, a 16-year-old survivor, spoke of her anguish: “It is so painful what they did to me and to my family. Da’esh [IS] has ruined our lives… What will happen to my family? I don’t know if I will ever see them again.” Her words reflect the dual burden faced by survivors—coping with their own trauma while mourning the loss of family members still in captivity or killed by IS.
A Call for Urgent Support
While some organizations have stepped in to provide medical and psychological support to survivors, the response remains woefully inadequate. Many survivors are unaware of the help available to them, and those who do seek assistance often find resources stretched thin.
The Kurdistan Regional Government, the UN, and humanitarian organizations must do more. Survivors need specialized medical care, trauma counseling, and safe spaces to rebuild their lives. Every moment of delay is a betrayal of those who have already endured the unthinkable.
Justice for the Yezidi People
The atrocities committed by IS against the Yezidi community demand justice. Perpetrators must be held accountable—not just the fighters, but the entire network of supporters who enabled their reign of terror. This includes those who bought or traded in human lives, those who turned a blind eye, and those who justified these acts under the guise of religion.
Justice must also be restorative. Survivors need reparations, not just symbolic gestures but tangible support that acknowledges their suffering and helps rebuild their lives.
A Global Responsibility
The plight of Yezidi women is not just an Iraqi issue—it is a global one. The international community must stand with survivors, offering not only resources but also a platform to amplify their voices. Every survivor’s story is a testament to resilience in the face of unimaginable suffering. But these stories also serve as a warning: the world’s failure to act decisively against IS allowed these atrocities to occur.
Healing Through Solidarity
Amid the horror, there is hope. Survivors like Wafa and Randa demonstrate incredible strength, refusing to be defined by the violence they endured. But they cannot heal alone. They need the unwavering support of their communities and the world.
We must confront the uncomfortable truths about what happened to the Yezidi people. We must challenge the stigma surrounding survivors of sexual violence. And we must ensure that such atrocities are never allowed to happen again.
Never Forget, Never Forgive
The Islamic State’s campaign against the Yezidis represents one of the darkest chapters in modern history. The stories of torture, sexual slavery, and unfathomable suffering are not just accounts of human cruelty—they are calls to action. We cannot change the past, but we can shape the future by holding perpetrators accountable, supporting survivors, and building a world where such horrors are unthinkable.
The fight for justice is far from over. But it is a fight we must all join—not just for the Yezidis, but for the dignity of humanity itself.
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I’m a 33-year-old writer and the founder of World Reports Today. Driven by the timeless principles of democracy and freedom of speech, I use my platform and my writing to amplify the voices of those who uphold these ideals and to spark meaningful conversations about the issues that truly matter.
