Iraq

In 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) launched a genocide against the Yazidis, an ethno-religious minority group indigenous to northern Iraq.

ISIS executed around 5,000 Yazidi men and boys and took more than 6,000 women and girls captive and subjected them to forced marriages, rape, and other forms of conflict-related sexual violence. Boys were also kidnapped and indoctrinated, trained to become child soldiers and fighters for ISIS.

Following the end of our project in 2024, we released our impact report presenting the results of GSF’s interim reparative measures project for Yazidi survivors held captive by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). The project was carried out with Nadia’s Initiative and other partners. A total of 1,042 survivors took part, of which 42 per cent were still children during captivity. With an average family size of 6.4 members per household, approximately 6,669 family members are estimated to have also benefitted from the measures.

2020

WORK BEGAN

2024

IRM PROJECT ENDED

After receiving their chosen package, including financial compensation, psychological care, medical support, legal aid, and education, survivors reported feeling stronger, more accepted, and more respected by their communities. Many survivors connected with others who shared similar experiences, creating new friendships and networks.

Key highlights include:

Overall quality of life scores improved from an initial 25.3 to 50.2 at the end of the project;

Psychological health scores improved from 40.6 to 49.8, with survivors reporting reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD.

Families also benefited, with 87 % of survivors saying their family life improved. A strong majority – 96 % – felt the project gave them recognition, and 92 % said they felt it brought them a sense of justice. 

Discover our publications:

Impact Report ( EN – AR )
Country Briefing

Education as a form of reparation

In August 2025, we published Access to education as a form of reparation for survivors of ISIS captivity in Iraq. The report, produced by GSF, Yazda, Farida Global and members of survivor networks, outlines the barriers to accessing education, in addition to opportunities to provide reparative forms of education for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. It highlights the critical need for targeted investments and practical solutions to ensure that survivors are not only legally entitled to education as a form of reparation, but can also actively participate in its design and implementation.

The need for such advocacy became clear during a visit to Iraq in 2024, three years after the passage of the Yazidi Survivors Law (YSL). While the law enables access to reparations for survivors of ISIS crimes against the Yazidi, Turkmen, Shabak and Christian communities, many survivors remain unable to access educational resources due to a variety of systemic barriers and a lack of adapted institutional responses to this challenge.

The findings have also formed the basis for our wider approach to education as a form of reparation, which we hope to expand in the coming years.