Part-2

Security

Traditionally, the Yazidis uphold very strict beliefs on who can and cannot enter (or re-enter) their religion and structure their community around their religious actors. By partnering with Free Yezidi Foundation, which works to protect and support the Yazidi community through international awareness and projects, they can continue to provide support through women’s and children’s centers to help heal those who were severely traumatized in the 2014 attack.

The Yazidi population has also expressed the need for armed defense. While giving untrained people firearms is not ideal, with the help of the UN Formed Police Units and their UN training, proper basic training of firearms for some Yazidi could be beneficial. A possible alternative would be partnering with key actors to communicate with the Iraqi officials to utilize the Peshmerga as defense for the Yazidi. The Peshmerga has done this in the past. Written in the laws under justice, the government of Iraq is obligated to protect and prevent recurring crimes of this nature. With legal obligation and intergroup contact already being established, this is more realistic given the political climate and the divided territory of the Shengal region until the Yazidi can achieve autonomy in their security efforts.

Reparations

Finally, partnering with key organizations such as Nadia’s Initiative and Amnesty International, this strategy calls to continue the rebuilding of infrastructure with the aid of the Iraqi government. This will establish jobs to alleviate psychological stress and encourage further intergroup contact while building resiliency. This will build intercommunity business transactions by these established buildings. Funds for rebuilding will come from NGOs who have already started this work; these simple projects will lead to companies and businesses being built which both communities can profit off. This also creates work programs with NGOs to rebuild the community how the Yazidis want it rebuilt, giving them agency in their community, and fostering relationships to rebuild trust. These obligations from Iraq fall back on the aforementioned laws, once again, since they are obligated to provide appropriate measures of restitution and rehabilitation while NGOs can continue to advocate for the Yazidi cause, rallying support internationally.

Ariel Harris