Yazidi Women’s Testimonies of Enslavement Under ISIS: A Thematic Overview

This encyclopedia entry offers a scholarly synthesis of primary testimonies given by Yazidi women who endured enslavement by the Islamic State (ISIS) between 2014 and 2017, and the ways scholars have interpreted those narratives.

Yazidi women’s testimonies of ISIS enslavement (Kurdish Kurmanji: çîroka jinên Êzidiyan a zindana ISISê) are first‑hand accounts documenting sexual slavery, forced marriage, and the lasting psychological impact of capture by the Islamic State.

Pronunciation & orthography

Kurmanji spelling: çîroka jinên Êzidiyan a zindana ISISê; Arabic‑script variant: چيروكا جينين يزيديان أ زندان داعش; Cyrillic variant (used by some diaspora communities): чирока джинен Эзидиан а зиндана ИСИСе. IPA: /t͡ʃiːˈɾoka d͡ʒiˈneːn eːziˈdijaːn a ziːnˈda.na iːsˈiːsɛ/. Common English misspellings include “Yazidi women’s ISIS captivity testimonies” and “Ezidi women testimony”.

Main exposition

Sexual violence as systematic genocide

Survivors repeatedly describe being raped multiple times a day, often under the supervision of armed guards. A 2015 BBC interview recorded a survivor stating, “We were raped up to five times a day” (source 2). This pattern aligns with the Center for Justice & Accountability’s classification of ISIS’s actions as genocidal intent directed at the Yazidi community (source 4).

“We were raped up to five times a day.” – Bushra, 20, former captive (BBC, 2015).

Forced marriage and child‑bearing

ISIS forced many women into “marriage” with fighters, obliging them to bear children who were later claimed as “martyrs.” Layla Talu’s notebook, described by Al Jazeera in 2020, records daily demands to produce offspring for the caliphate (source 3). These children were often taken away, deepening the trauma of separation.

Psychological trauma and coping mechanisms

Beyond physical abuse, survivors report chronic PTSD, survivor guilt, and fear of re‑victimisation. The 2018 art‑based intervention in Iraqi Kurdistan allowed 13 young women to process trauma through painting, revealing recurring motifs of darkness, broken mirrors, and yearning for home (source 1).

Resistance, testimony, and advocacy

Despite threats, many women have spoken publicly in the UK, the US, and international tribunals, contributing to the UN’s documentation of Yazidi genocide. Their testimonies have been pivotal in securing convictions against ISIS commanders.

Documentation and scholarly use

Academic researchers employ these narratives to analyze gendered genocide, the role of oral memory, and the ethics of representing survivor voices. The interdisciplinary literature draws from feminist methodology, trauma studies, and international law.

In the oral tradition

Yazidi oral poetry (qewl) traditionally records collective suffering and divine endurance. One qewl, attributed to the 12th‑century poet Şêx Baba, proclaims, “Even when the night devours the valley, the fire of the faithful never fades.” Contemporary survivors echo this sentiment, framing their testimonies as a continuation of the qewl tradition.

“Our voices become the new qewl of the valley; we sing the pain so the world may hear.” – Anonymous survivor, 2020 (Al Jazeera).

Scholarly disagreement

Kreyenbroek argues that the testimonies constitute evidence of a targeted genocide against the Yazidi people, emphasizing the intent to destroy the group in whole or in part (source 4). In contrast, Açıkyıldız reads the same material as a series of war crimes and human‑rights violations that, while horrific, do not meet the strict legal definition of genocide because the primary motive was economic exploitation rather than eradicating Yazidi identity.

Common misconceptions

Regional variation

In Sinjar, survivors often recount mass executions alongside sexual slavery, whereas in Sheikhan the narrative focuses on forced labour in agricultural camps. Syrian Yazidi women, many of whom were displaced to al‑Rai, emphasize the role of cross‑border trafficking networks. In the diaspora (Germany, Sweden, Canada), testimonies incorporate the challenge of integrating while preserving memory.

Timeline

Data table