At least 2,693 Yazidis are still missing or enslaved, the Free Yezidi Foundation stressed on Saturday, the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery.
On Intl Day for Abolition of Slavery, our hearts are with the 2,693 #Yezidis still missing or enslaved. Enduring modern slavery, daily abuse, and sexual violence, their plight begs the question: Why has the world turned a blind eye to their suffering for nearly a decade? pic.twitter.com/SK4d8iffPw
— Free Yezidi Foundation (@Free_Yezidi) December 2, 2023
Drawing attention to the ongoing suffering of the Yazidi community, the foundation underscored the harrowing reality that many Yazidis face, enduring modern slavery, daily abuse, and sexual violence and raised a crucial question: “Why has the world turned a blind eye to their suffering for nearly a decade?”
Yazidis, an ethno-religious minority in the Middle East, have faced unprecedented challenges, especially after the Islamic State (ISIS) onslaught on Sinjar (Şengal), the Yazidi homeland in northern Iraq, in 2014.
The devastating 2014 attacks on Sinjar, an area outside the Kurdistan Region and part of Iraq’s disputed territories, resulted in the displacement of thousands of Yazidis and left the region in ruins. Thousands were subjected to mass atrocities, with many women and children abducted and sold into slavery.
Every year, 2 December is dedicated to raising awareness of the global problem of slavery and promoting efforts to eradicate all forms of modern slavery.
However, despite global efforts to combat slavery and human trafficking, the Free Yezidi Foundation believes that the plight of the thousands of missing or enslaved Yazidis has not received the attention it deserves. The organisation stressed the urgent need for international intervention to address the ongoing crisis and provide much-needed assistance to the affected community.
Yazidi civil society organisations, community leaders and intellectuals have been calling for increased awareness, diplomatic pressure and humanitarian efforts to comprehensively address the Yazidi crisis.
