Nobody’s Listening: Supporting the Yezidi Community 10 Years After Genocide

On January 29, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide hosted a discussion on the current challenges facing the Yezidi community and possible ways to strengthen their ability to recover from genocide.

FYF’s Executive Director, Pari Ibrahim, spoke at the event, underscoring critical issues facing the Yezidi community. Specifically, Pari drew attention to the persistent lack of investment in the community’s rebuilding, the transient and unsustainable nature of the aid that reaches them, and the alarming figure of over 2,600 still-missing Yezidi women and children. Her emphasis extended to the gendered dimension of genocide and displacement, where she highlighted the apprehensions of many Yezidi women and girls about returning to Sinjar due to the potential loss of acquired rights during displacement. Moreover, Pari underscored the imperative to provide support to women with children born of rape who have survived captivity, recognizing the unique challenges they face in the process of recovery.