Sinjar, Iraq – To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the genocide committed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIL) against minorities including the Yazidi, Christian, Shabak, Turkmen and other communities in Iraq, the Coalition for Just Reparations (C4JR) along with the Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights, SEED Foundation, and Yazda, publishes our joint report featuring 10 demands of survivors, a decade after the genocide.
In collaboration with our members, as we approached the anniversary of the ISIL-perpetrated genocide, C4JR has developed a list of ten core demands identified through a series of consultations with survivors. Despite the 2021 Yazidi Survivors’ Law (YSL), survivors remain vulnerable. Our report, authored by members of Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights, SEED Foundation and Yazda, lists demands drawn from survivor consultations, conducted by C4JR members including Better World Organization, DAK Organization, Farida Global Organization (FGO), Free Yezidi Foundation (FYF), House of Coexistence, Justice Organisation for Minority Rights (JOMR), and Jiyan Foundation, in addition to Yazda, who provided data from their own assessment with survivors to inform the report.
Their findings emphasise enhanced security measures, accessible healthcare, safe and dignified solutions to displacement, educational support, and international recognition of the genocide. As expressed by survivors, the following demands reflect the insights of diverse survivor groups to ensure that the perspectives of survivors with different ethnic and religious backgrounds, ages, genders, and geographical locations are represented, reflecting the highest priority areas of needs.
- Ensure the Safety, Security, and Protection of Minorities, and Prevent Violence
- Provide Free and Accessible Healthcare
- Address the Fate of Kidnapped and Missing Individuals and the Exhumation of Mass Graves
- Support Survivors’ Economic Independence
- Promote Justice and Accountability at the National and International Level
- Secure a Safe, Dignified, and Voluntary End to Displacement
- Ensure All Eligible Survivor Groups Can Equitably Access Reparations
- Facilitate Access to Education
- Pursue Recognition of the Genocide by the International Community
- Fully Implement the Yazidi Survivors’ Law (YSL)
Many of these demands reinforce the relevance and importance of the reparations measures envisioned under the YSL, validating this as an essential response framework designed in consultation with survivor communities, and underscoring the need for sustained attention on the law until full implementation is achieved. By consolidating the demands in this report, we hope to raise awareness of the current situation of survivors living in Iraq and abroad, and advocate for robust solutions to alleviate their suffering. Addressing these needs is crucial for the long-term recovery, stability, and dignity of survivors belonging to all affected groups.
Our report was developed in consultation with the members of C4JR, with lead authors Alannah Travers and Saber Saydo (Jiyan Foundation), Kristin Perry and Marley Tinnock (SEED Foundation), and Zoé Paris (Yazda), with support from Mairéad Smith (C4JR consultant). This report remains the copyright of C4JR, and any reproduction, translation, or printing – in part or in full – should be credited to C4JR.
Download the full report in English: https://c4jr.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/10-Demands-10-Years-After-the-Genocide-by-ISIL_English.pdf
Arabic: https://tinyurl.com/7jjyvp9y
Coalition for Just Reparations (C4JR) is an alliance of NGOs based in Iraq who came together to call for comprehensive reparations for survivors of atrocity crimes perpetrated during the ISIL conflict, seeking to provide a collaborative and safe space where the grievances of survivors belonging to all affected groups – including Yazidi, Turkmen, Shabak, Kakai, Christians, Shia, Sunnis, and others – could be adequately addressed.
Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights, a charitable organisation, supports survivors of human rights violations, defends fundamental freedoms, and promotes democratic values worldwide. The Jiyan Foundation provides mental health and medical treatment, along with other support services, to survivors of trauma, terror, domestic violence, and human rights violations throughout Kurdistan, Iraq, and Syria.
SEED Foundation is a local NGO in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, committed to protecting, empowering, and supporting survivors of violence and others at risk. Our approach to this mission is integrative and holistic. We provide quality and comprehensive services, including mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), legal, protection, and shelter services; training, capacity building, and education for those working to protect and serve survivors; and policy and advocacy to strengthen laws, policies, practices, and protections for vulnerable people, and to promote social change.
Yazda was established in 2014, three weeks after the genocidal campaign commenced in Sinjar and was among the first organisations on the ground providing lifesaving assistance to survivors. Yazda was the first actor to document the crimes committed by ISIL against Yazidis and has been leading advocacy efforts on justice and accountability. Since its inception, Yazda has managed a portfolio of humanitarian, justice and rights-based projects, which are community and survivor-centred in design and implementation.
