The International Committee on Missing Persons (ICMP), in collaboration with Farida Global Organization, held an event entitled "Raising Awareness about Missing Yazidis for Families in Europe." Participants included families of missing persons, survivors, Yazidi civil society organizations, human rights activists, including experts from the Martyrs Foundation - Office of Protection and Mass Graves and the Ministry of Health - Office of Forensic Medicine. The meeting provided a valuable platform for dialogue and information exchange among participants.

During the event, survivors and families of the missing expressed concerns about the process of identifying the remains, which they found long and difficult. They also called for the creation of search and rescue teams to search for the 2,753-missing people.

Farida Khalaf, head of Farida International, has shared her experience several times of donating blood samples to various bodies, arguing that if they continue to donate blood in this way, better coordination between the various authorities involved in the process, especially between the Iraqi Kurdistan authorities and the Iraqi government, is needed.

Another family member of the missing person expressed displeasure at the publication of their loved ones' identities on social media, saying: "We deserve better treatment, we should be the first to know about our loved ones directly, not from social media posts." Such actions were deemed ethically unacceptable and further traumatized victims' families.

In addition, some families did not have the resources to provide DNA samples. Most survivors moved to Europe, Canada, or Australia under special programs, and providing DNA samples would entail significant travel expenses to Baghdad or Iraq.

Overall, there was a clear need for more communication and contact with the families of the missing and for modifications to the current system to speed up the process, families need to be actively involved in the process.

The Iraqi authorities published an update on the exhumed remains and the identification process. According to the Mass Graves Directorate, there are currently 1,700 missing persons in the Sinjar area, with 1,800 blood samples collected. More than 89 mass graves have been discovered in the Sinjar district, 30 of which have not yet been uncovered. More than 650 remains have been exhumed from the uncovered graves, but only 163 have been identified and their bodies returned to the families.

Finally, Yazidi community expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the Farida Global Organization and the International Committee on Missing Persons for giving them a place, a podium, and seats at the table to express their concerns. They expressed appreciation for the efforts made to raise standards and support for families in identifying their missing loved ones, as well as the efforts of the Iraqi authorities, taking into account the active participation of families and improving communication.

Mlêtê Êzidî