蘑菇视频

Distinguished participants,

 

I regret that I was unable to attend in person this important commemoration of the fourth anniversary of the horrific attack by Da鈥檈sh against unarmed Yazidi civilians in Sinjar. I thank you for the opportunity to share some remarks as we remember the victims and survivors of Da鈥檈sh鈥檚 reign of terror. Four years ago, Sinjar was the scene of tragedy: a genocidal campaign of killings, rape, abductions and enslavement, which triggered a massive displacement of civilians. 聽We all recall how within days of the attack, reports emerged of Da鈥檈sh committing unimaginable atrocities against the Yazidi community: of men being killed or forced to convert; of women and young girls sold at market and held in sexual slavery by Da鈥檈sh fighters; and of boys being ripped from their families and forced into Da鈥檈sh training camps.

For the women and girls, a different horror awaited. Captured Yazidi women and girls were deemed the property of Da鈥檈sh; openly termed 鈥渟abaya鈥� or 鈥渟laves鈥� and聽 聽sold in slave markets, traded between fighters, or forcibly married. Da鈥檈sh fighters held online slave auctions and circulated photos of captured Yazidi women and girls, with details of their age, marital status, location and price. Yazidi women and girls were subjected to brutal sexual violence. All those I met in Berlin in June 2017, as well as in Mosul and Erbil in March 2018, reported violent daily rapes by their captors.

The extreme brutality waged by Da鈥檈sh against the Yezidi community, represents a dark moment in Iraq鈥檚 history and must never be forgotten.

Today, we remember those thousands of Yazidi women, men, and children who lost their lives, those who are still missing, and those whose lives have been devastated by Da鈥檈sh. This day is also the occasion to salute the courage and resilience of all those who faced these atrocities with bravery. 聽I still recall how a survivor told me that she was released after telling her captor that she was infected with HIV/Aids. Another one had pretended to suffer from cancer. A few related how they made themselves look as dirty and disheveled as possible to avoid rape or resale.

The survivors I met in Iraq are shattered. The majority live in difficult and destitute conditions in IDP camps, struggling with the profound distress of not knowing the fate or whereabouts of relatives still in Da鈥檈sh -controlled territory.

Liberating Mosul from terrorist control is an event of huge significance for Iraq and the region as it signals the irreversible defeat of Da鈥檈sh terrorism. It is critical that this moment of national unity be consolidated through good governance, service delivery, enhanced security for all, access to justice, and reconciliation.

However, reconciliation will not be possible without robust efforts to identify and reunite the thousands of missing Yazidis and members of other Iraqi communities with their families. I heard from every survivor about the urgent need to determine the fate of their family members. Finding the missing must be a priority.

Reconciliation will not be possible or sustainable without justice. It is a matter of concern that until now, not a single Da鈥檈sh perpetrator has been held accountable for crimes of sexual violence, despite the existence of legal provisions criminalizing rape. 蘑菇视频 Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security and sexual violence in conflict all recognize that ending impunity is the best way to deter these crimes from being committed in the future. This need for prevention and deterrence is especially acute when rape is employed as an act of persecution, extermination or genocide.

In addition to justice, survivors urgently need medical and psycho-social care, as well as financial and livelihood support. A concerted effort also needs to be made to ensure that children born of rape are accepted by their communities, rather than stigmatized and rejected.

In September 2016, the Government of Iraq pledged in a Joint Communiqu茅 with the United Nations to ensure accountability for sexual violence crimes, as well as the delivery of essential services. On 19 June 2018, the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, the Government of Iraq announced the establishment of an Inter-Ministerial Committee to implement these commitments. I call for this Committee to be promptly established at both federal and regional levels, with representation of survivors from all components of Iraqi society, including the Yazidi community, to ensure a survivor-centered approach.

Finally, Yazidi women must fully participate in the reconstruction of Iraq. Yazidi women have been at the forefront of efforts to galvanize international support for the fight against Da鈥檈sh. Now that Da鈥檈sh has been declared defeated, Yazidi women cannot go back to the margins of society. Their courage and sacrifice must be honored through their full and equal participation in the public and political life of 聽聽Iraq. This is the only way a reconciled, democratic Iraq based on the rule of law, can be rebuilt for the future.

I remain determined to work with the Yazidi community, and all components of Iraqi society, to support them in their fight for justice and redress.

 

Thank you.

/END