Amnesty International says that almost 2,000 Yazidi minors who have returned to their families after
living under the captivity of the armed group calling itself Islamic
State suffer a physical and mental health crisis.
When IS stormed into their ancestral heartland in northern Iraq, the
Yazidis fled to Mount Sinjar. Many were killed and some 7,000 women and
girls were seized and enslaved. Many of them were raped.
Some of the boys lost limbs in battle, while some girls who were raped
may never be able to have children. Amnesty is calling for enslaved
Yazidi women who had the babies of IS fighters to be resettled with
their children abroad.
“Although the nightmare of their past is behind them, these children continue to have difficulties. Having endured the horrors of war at an extremely young age, they now need the urgent support of Iraqi national authorities and the international community to build their future, “said Matt Wells, deputy director of Crisis Response for Thematic Issues at Amnesty International.
“These children, survivors of heinous crimes, now face a legacy of terror. In the coming years, priority should be given to their physical and mental health so that they can fully reintegrate into their family and community. ”
