The repatriation order in Iraq for survivors of Yiddish is a good part | Killing

When I first spoke to Sahir last year, she was living in a refugee camp in northern Iraq.

He told me how, at the age of 15, he was captured by ISIL from his family in Iraq. After months of military training and media coverage, ISIL forced him to fight in Syria, where he was critically injured. He was sent to a hospital for treatment, after which he was able to escape ISIL.

But almost three years after his return to Iraq, he is still sad. Like many of the 2,000 survivors of the Yiddish survivors of the ISIL exile, which Amnesty International wrote last year, they had not received any help since their return.

“All I look for is just someone to take care of me, some help,” he said. “Someone will put his hands on my shoulders and say everything will be fine.”

When I spoke to him again recently, he told me that he was still in the camp: still waiting, suffering, still not receiving help.

Yet the potential for change is approaching for survivors like Sahir.

On March 1, 2021, the Iraqi parliament enacted the Yazidi Survivors Law, which provides for the recovery of ISIL survivors. Including, among others, women and girls who have been sexually abused, as well as surviving children who were abducted before the age of 18.

Although the order is under the control of the Yezidi group, it also includes survivors from minority Christian groups, Turkmen, and Shabak. The Act provides, among other things, a monthly allowance, a place or housing, a return to schooling, and the provision of psychological and other health services.

Sadly, the Survivors Act has done nothing: it fails to address the needs of children born as a result of violence against ISIL members, or the needs of their mothers. Although some Jezreel women chose to separate from children born to sexual violence, we found that many others have forcibly separated – and are desperate to reunite.

Iraqi authorities need to address the plight of these women and children, in particular by combating the birth of children with violence in retaliation and taking steps to ensure that women and children can live together safely.

However, the passage of the Survivors’ Law is a remarkable development. With all the restorative measures, it can be a gold standard in future recovery plans, and set an example for other governments on how to fulfill their responsibility to survivors.

For this to happen, the rule must be changed from word to word.

In recent weeks, Amnesty International has negotiated with Iraqi actors, including the SEED Foundation, Yazda, the Free Yezidi Foundation, and the Coalition for Just Reparations (C4JR), a coalition of 31 Iraqi non-governmental organizations. It was the tireless encouragement of these organizations and other members of the civil society and survivors that led to the enactment of this law.

If the Act is to be effective, the Council of Ministers responsible for drafting its legislation is required to comply with the directives. When their thoughts are great and in detail, three are the most important.

First, the enactment of the rule must be “survivable”. All contributors should respect the privacy of the survivors, make them fully aware of their rights, seek informed consent, and encourage them to comment on this work.

Second, the process of applying for government assistance should avoid hurting survivors. Eligibility for support and support should not depend on other research methods, or the need to be articulated in sexual and other forms of violence. If possible, the survivors’ testimony should be corroborated by a number of documents already collected in Iraq.

Finally, the work must be available to all who will survive. They should have the opportunity to present their programs in person, online, or with the help of someone or an organization. As the recent work of the International Organization for Migration in Iraq has shown, many survivors living outside Iraq should also be encouraged to register their money under the law.

According to Sahir, the way the Survivors Act is applied – and if it can be implemented at all – represents the final test before the Yiddish team.

“It is difficult for the Yezidis to rely on the government,” he said. “To date, he has done nothing for our people. They came up with the order now, but we don’t know if they’ll comply. Now it’s their turn. ”

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editor of Al Jazeera.