Yazidis

The Yazidi community, a religious minority in northern Iraq, suffered an attempted genocide at the hands of ISIS. When the militant group swept through the region in 2014, thousands of Yazidis were killed, prompting what the United States later described as a key reason for resuming its military intervention in Iraq.

While many managed to flee, thousands of others were captured. ISIS militants forced Yazidis to convert to their extremist ideology. Boys were often indoctrinated and trained to become child soldiers. Women and girls, meanwhile, were systematically abused—frequently bought, sold, and traded as sex slaves.

Today, with ISIS in retreat and many captives having escaped or been rescued, survivors are beginning the long process of healing. Some women are bravely speaking out, shedding light on the horrors they endured.

Yet, for Yazidi women to be fully accepted back into their deeply spiritual community after such ordeals—particularly after forced religious conversion and prolonged physical and emotional trauma—they must first undergo a symbolic rebirth ritual.

Traditionally performed for young children, this sacred ceremony has now been adapted to accommodate adult women—a reflection of the unprecedented trauma inflicted by ISIS. Community leaders say the scale and brutality of the assault required a response rooted in compassion, inclusion, and cultural resilience.

In June 2017, I was among the first outside reporting teams granted permission by the Yazidi community—through the Yazda organization—to witness and document one of these reintegration ceremonies at Lalish, their holiest site.