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Rudaw Net
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Iraq kicks off compensation program for Yazidi survivors of ISIS
Also in Iraq Iraqi army blocks Kurdish farmers in Kirkuk's Sargaran Baghdad, Erbil reach agreement to revive stalled trade Dust storm hospitalizes over 200 in Kirkuk Around 550 hospitalized across Iraq due to intense dust storm A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has begun distributing monthly salaries to more than 2,300 Kurdish Yazidi women and girls who survived atrocities committed by the Islamic State (ISIS), as part of a national compensation effort for survivors. Speaking to Rudaw on Thursday, Sarab Elias, director of Yazidi Survivors Affairs at the ministry, said that the 'support is provided under Law No. 8, enacted by the Iraqi parliament in March 2021. The legislation guarantees compensation for all individuals who survived ISIS captivity. Each eligible survivor will be receiving a monthly stipend of 800,000 Iraqi dinars (around $565). 'This is a critical step in delivering justice and support to the Yazidi community after years of unimaginable suffering,' Elias stated. Importantly, the law extends to Yazidi women and girls regardless of where they currently reside. So far, 150 applications have been submitted from abroad, with 120 cases already interviewed. In mid-December, Iraqi authorities began conducting remote video conference interviews with Yazidi survivors living overseas. These interviews are held weekly, typically every Thursday, and are conducted by Iraqi judges connecting virtually from within the country. The majority of these video conferences are taking place at Iraqi embassies and consulates in countries like Germany and France, where large Yazidi diaspora communities reside. According to Elias, between three and five interviews are conducted each week. The compensation initiative is part of broader national efforts to acknowledge and address the trauma endured by Yazidis under ISIS. In June 2014, ISIS took control of large areas in northern and western Iraq. Two months later, in August, the group launched a brutal assault on the Yazidi community in the Shingal (Sinjar) district, resulting in the abduction of 6,417 Yazidi women and children. Many were subjected to sexual slavery and forced labor. As of now, 2,590 Yazidis remain missing, according to the Office of Rescuing Abducted Yazidis, affiliated with the Kurdistan Region Presidency. An estimated 200,000 Yazidis were also displaced from Shingal during the onslaught, many of whom continue to live in displacement camps across the Kurdistan Region, particularly in Duhok province. The United Nations has officially recognized the campaign against the Yazidis as a genocide.
Rudaw Net
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Yazidi women abroad testify online to receive government support
Also in Iraq Iraq to 'make every effort' to resume Kurdish oil exports: FM Iraq's top court to rule on PM, President appeal to reinstate maritime deal with Kuwait Iraq 'temporarily' bans work entry for Syrians, four South Asian nationalities Iraqi President ratifies law elevating Halabja to provincial status A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi judges are interviewing Yazidi women living abroad about their captivity under the Islamic State (ISIS) who have applied for compensation under the Yazidi Survivor Law, according to an official on Thursday. 'Any Yazidi from any country can submit an application. Out of 150 people who have submitted applications, interviews have been conducted with 120 so far, with only 30 remaining,' Sarab Elias, director of Yazidi Survivors Affairs at the Iraqi Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, told Rudaw. The first interviews started on December 12, 2024 and have continued on every Thursday, with three to five survivors interviewed daily. 'For some women who spent a long time in ISIS captivity, the interviews take a considerable amount of time,' said Elias. The process is led by the Nineveh Court of Appeal - Alqosh Investigation Court and coordinated with the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate support for Yazidi women living abroad. According to Elias, the interviews are arranged at Iraqi embassies and consulates in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Paris. On March 1, 2021, the Iraqi Parliament passed the Yazidi Survivors Law that provides compensation for Yazidi survivors of ISIS atrocities committed when the group attacked the Yazidi heartland of Shingal (Sinjar) in 2014. The jihadists abducted thousands of women and children. Some two thousand remain missing. Each survivor receives a monthly payment of 800,000 dinars (around $608). As of December, 2,228 Yazidi women and girls were receiving the payments. The federal government has designated August 3 as a national day to remember the victims of massacres committed by ISIS. Though the group no longer controls any territory, it continues to pose a security risk by carrying out kidnappings, hit-and-run attacks, and bombings.
