August 3, 2017
Three years ago today, Islamic State (ISIL) fighters descended on Dilan’s* village, a town near Sinjar in Northeast Iraq. Sinjar and its surrounding communities are home to a large population of Yezidis, members of a religious minority group in Iraq that has been historically misunderstood and persecuted. As ISIL rose to power in Iraq, they targeted Yezidis, calling them apostates and launching a violent campaign to eradicate their religion.
When Dilan’s father heard that ISIL was advancing towards their town, capturing Yezidi women and killing men along the way, he decided the family should flee towards Mount Sinjar alongside thousands of other Yezidis who hoped the difficult terrain would provide them some protection from the fighters.
Dilan’s family didn’t make it to the mountain.
On the way, an ISIL fighter caught up with them and took Dilan, age 17 at the time, captive. Today, Dilan still doesn’t know whether her parents, siblings, and grandparents are alive. More than 10,000 Yezidis were killed or enslaved in the days that followed August 3, 2014, in what has since become known as the Sinjar Massacre.
Dilan was given to an ISIL fighter who kept her in his home and repeatedly sexually assaulted her. Dilan tried to escape by jumping out of a window, but she was caught and tortured as punishment.
A few weeks later, Dilan fled again, and asked a stranger who lived near her captor to take her in and help her. The neighbor agreed to let her stay for a week until they could find a way to get her out of ISIL-held territory. Dilan called a family member who helped her find passage to Kirkuk, which was under the protection of the Peshmerga forces in Iraqi Kurdistan.
After three months of being held prisoner, Dilan was finally safe, but she wasn’t yet able to process what had happened to her. Staff members from Heartland Alliance International (HAI) and its local partners encouraged Dilan to begin therapy. They also scheduled a medical check-up, helped her apply for financial assistance and find clothing for the winter months, and provided legal services to support her immigration process as she seeks asylum outside of Iraq. After several months, she began to feel like herself again.
Three years after the Sinjar Massacre, it is estimated that at least 3,000 Yezidis remain captives of ISIL. More than 300,000 Yezidis fled to Iraqi Kurdistan and many, like Dilan, are living in camps for internally displaced persons (IDP). HAI is supporting this community – and other religious and ethnic minority groups – by providing legal services to help individuals and families return to their homes and reclaim their land as areas are liberated from ISIL. HAI also supports victims of severe human rights abuses – particularly female abductees like Dilan – recover emotionally and empowers them to actively participate in their communities.
Today, Dilan is working in the IDP camp where she’s living. She has been reunited with family members who also escaped from ISIL and volunteers with HAI’s peer support group for survivors. Through this program, she emotionally supports other women who have been abducted by ISIL. It helps Dilan heal too – she’s continuing to recover and actively participating in the rebuilding of her community.
*Names have been changed to protect confidentiality of the participant featured in this story.
