Nadia Murad
Nadia Murad comes from the Yazidi village of Kocho in Iraq. The Yazidis are a Kurdish religious minority found primarily in parts of Iraq, Turkey, Syria, and Iran. Their religion includes elements of ancient Iranian religions as well as elements of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Although scattered and probably numbering only between 200,000 and a million, the Yazidis have a well-organized society, with a chief sheikh as the supreme religious head and an emir as the secular head.
In 2014, ISIS launched a campaign to gain control of northern Iraq and exterminate the Yazidi minority. Nadia Murad’s mother and six of her brothers were brutally killed. The young Yazidi women and girls, including Nadia, were taken to the city of Mosul to be used as sex slaves. Nadia was beaten, burned with cigarettes, and raped repeatedly.
Nadia successfully escaped after her captor left the house unlocked. She was taken in by a neighboring family, who were able to smuggle her out of the ISIS controlled area. She finally reached a refugee camp in Duhok, Kurdistan Region. In 2015, she was one of 1000 women and children given asylum by the Government of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Activism
In November 2015, Nadia went to Switzerland to speak at a UN forum on minority issues. This is how she described it: “It was the first time I would tell my story in front of a large audience… I would have to tell the audience about the times I was raped and all the abuse I witnessed. Deciding to be honest was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made, and also the most important. My story, told honestly and matter-of-factly, is the best weapon I have against terrorism.”
Unlike many victims of sexual violence, Nadia had the courage to talk about the experiences of women like her and became an activist and advocate of all such survivors of genocide and sexual violence. Much of Nadia’s advocacy work is focused on meeting with global leaders to raise awareness of ISIS and its genocidal campaign against the Yazidi people.
Nadia is the President and Chairwoman of Nadia’s Initiative, which actively works to persuade governments and international organizations to support the sustainable re-development of the Yazidi homeland, as well as survivors of sexual violence globally. Nadia is also the Co-Founder of the Global Fund for Survivors of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence.
Nadia’s Initiative is on a mission to create a world where women are able to live peacefully, and where communities that have experienced trauma and suffering are supported and redeveloped. Nadia’s Initiative advocates — at the local, national, and international levels — for resources and policy changes needed to protect and support survivors of sexual violence and rebuild communities in crisis. The organization collaborates with global leaders, governments, and international organizations to raise awareness and direct critical funding necessary to making positive, meaningful change.
Nadia’s Initiative works to end the use of women and girls as weapons of war and to ensure survivors’ voices are heard. It seeks justice through fighting to hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes and to enable survivors to heal and rebuild their lives. Nadia’s Initiative also advocates to ensure that communities in crisis are not forgotten by working to restore basic resources, services, and security in fragile regions.
Since its inception in 2018, Nadia’s Initiative has earned the trust and recognition of government leaders, policy makers, activists, and advocates throughout the world as a leader in sustainable, community-driven development and advocacy as it relates to women, peace, justice, and security. In a short time, Nadia’s Initiative has provided both regional and cultural expertise in Iraq in an effort to rebuild Sinjar and strengthen security in the region.
In her capacity as a member of France’s Gender Advisory Council, Nadia advocates G7 member states to adopt legislation that protects and promotes women’s rights. Nadia and the Nadia’s Initiative team were instrumental in drafting and adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 2467, which expanded the UN’s commitments to end sexual violence in conflict. Nadia was also a driving force behind the drafting and passing of UN Security Council Resolution 2379, which established UNITAD (UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL).
Nadia is the recipient of several awards and honours including:
- Nobel Peace Prize (2018)
- First UN Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking (2016)
- Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought
- Council of Europe Václav Havel Award for Human Rights
- Clinton Global Citizen Award
- Hillary Clinton Award for Advancing Women in Peace and Security
- International DVF Award
Nadia Murad has married Abid Shamdeen, a fellow Yazidi human rights activist.
Afterword: Nadia’s memoir, The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State, was published in 2017. The title is from her assertion: “I want to be the last girl in the world with a story like mine.”
In 2018, director Alexandria Bombach produced a documentary film called On Her Shoulders that featured Nadia’s life story and activism.