Nobel laureate Yazidi human rights activist Nadia Murad and world-famous Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie visited the Shengal (Sinjar) region of northern Iraq on Wednesday and met with survivors eight years after the Yazidi genocide by the Islamic State (ISIS).
Murad and Jolie went to Murad’s hometown of Kocho, one of the most heavily exposed to the massacre, and observed the ongoing redevelopment efforts led by Nadia’s Initiative. The pair spoke to women and children who survived the genocide and sexual enslavement to highlight the needs of survivors who have returned to Shengal.
Jolie said that she was honoured to support the work of the Yazidis who are rebuilding their lives and communities after enduring horrors.
“I have witnessed the progress they have made, but also the need for long-term international commitment to support their work and leadership,” said Jolie. “Yazidi survivors continue to struggle with trauma, insecurity, displacement, and slow progress on reparations. I met families who are still searching for answers about their loved ones who are missing, and others who still lack support to meet their basic needs.”
Murad is one of the few people who survived the massacre in 2014 and told the story of the Yazidi people. She was kidnapped from Kocho and held captive by ISIS for three months.
In 2018, Murad founded Nadia’s Initiative, a nonprofit organisation that aims to provide support to victims of mass atrocities.
She was awarded the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for her “efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict” and became the first Iraqi and Yazidi to be awarded a Nobel Prize.
