An article by Iraqi academic and doctor Farah Sabir

On August 3 of each year, Iraqis and the world recall one of the most heinous crimes of the twenty-first century, when ISIS overran the Sinjar (Shingal) district in 2014, committing genocide against the Yazidi component—a crime that targeted not only human beings but identity, religion, culture, and existence itself.

Yet the most brutal aspect of that tragedy was what Yazidi women and girls endured, as they were systematically targeted by a policy of sexual slavery, human trafficking, and psychological humiliation—a flagrant violation of all human values, the provisions of international humanitarian law, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Experience has proven that the suffering of survivors did not end with their release from captivity; a more complex phase then began. Prolonged psychological trauma, the loss of family members, displacement, difficulties in social integration, and the challenges of treatment and rebuilding life have all made the effects of genocide an ongoing reality that transcends time.

Hundreds of survivors still require specialized psychosocial support services and sustainable rehabilitation and economic empowerment programs, because justice is not achieved merely by rescuing the victim, but by enabling them to restore their life, dignity, and independence. The issue of children born as a result of rape remains one of the most complex humanitarian files, raising legal, social, and humanitarian challenges that require solutions preserving the rights of all parties and respecting the dignity of victims.

Iraq has taken an important step by enacting Law No. 8 of 2021 on Yazidi Women Survivors, which recognized what Yazidi women and other women from targeted components endured as genocide and crimes against humanity, and established a legal framework for compensation, care, and rehabilitation. Official data indicates that more than 2,200 applications for compensation had been approved by the end of 2024—a significant development, yet one that represents only the beginning of a long path toward comprehensive justice.

Transitional justice is not limited to financial compensation; it encompasses truth-telling, accountability of perpetrators, preservation of collective memory, and guarantees of non-recurrence, as well as the reintegration of survivors into society in a manner that preserves their dignity, free from social stigmatization or discrimination.

Despite Iraqi and international efforts, major challenges remain. Thousands of Yazidis still live in displacement camps, while many have been unable to return to Sinjar due to security challenges and weak services and infrastructure. Furthermore, the continued existence of missing persons means that thousands of families still live between hope and waiting—a human suffering no less severe than captivity itself.

The issue of Yazidi women is not merely a matter concerning a local community or a religious minority; it represents a genuine test of the international community's ability to protect women in armed conflict zones. UN Security Council resolutions on women, peace, and security—foremost among them Resolution 1325—have affirmed that protecting women from sexual violence during conflicts is not merely a moral choice, but a legal and political obligation incumbent upon states and the international community.

This issue also reminds us that the use of sexual violence in war is no longer merely a byproduct of conflict, but has become in many contexts a deliberate means of terrorizing, dismantling, and displacing communities—making the fight against impunity an essential necessity for preventing the recurrence of such crimes.

On this anniversary, the commemoration of the Yazidi genocide should not be merely an annual occasion for remembrance, but an opportunity to renew commitment to protecting women in conflict zones, strengthening psychosocial support programs, expanding education and employment opportunities for survivors, accelerating efforts to search for the missing, and prosecuting perpetrators wherever they may be, based on the principle that crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity are not subject to statutes of limitations.