The Aftermath of a Genocide: The Displacement of the Yazidi Community
While some Yazidi have returned to Sinjar to rebuild their community, most live dispersed across the world or in Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps in Kurdistan and elsewhere in Iraq. Displacement has severely impacted every part of the Yazidi identity, including religious practices, cultural identity, and the sense of community of such a close-knit religious minority. The physical well-being of the Yazidi is also at risk. Displaced Yazidi have had to endure extreme weather conditions due to the scarcity of proper shelter. Poor sanitation in crowded camps means that they have become breeding grounds for various diseases. Mental health support and medication is also in short supply, leaving people vulnerable to long term illness and excessive suffering. Lastly, Covid-19 poses a substantial risk as vaccination campaigns reaching refugee camps are uncommon.
This text will lay out a brief introduction to the Yazidi identity, after which it will focus on how displacement and the abovementioned ramifications affected that identity, concluding with recommendations as to possible solutions to the many issues.
Background to the Yazidi community
The Yazidi are a tight-knit community, bound by their faith, which is rooted in a rich oral tradition. Central to the Yazidi culture is their language (Kurmaji), history, and unique cultural heritage. With all their cultural aspects being largely dependent on various heritage sites, the native land of the Yazidi holds significance for the community. Without it the collective memory of the Yazidi is likely to diminish. Many Yazidi generations to come will already be severely affected by their temples, shrines and historical buildings being destroyed by ISIS during and after the 2014 attacks, as major parts of their heritage have already been irreversibly wiped away. Furthermore, living dispersed across third countries has resulted in the Yazidi having to adapt their cultural practices to those of their host nation. Yazidi children grown up in displacement or new countries only know of their home as a place of genocide, seeing as there is no written history of the Yazidi people which could be passed on to them. It is also difficult to give an oral account of their culture and religion as many children never learn, or forget their native language, the knowing of which is key for being able to fully grasp Yazidi practices.
Seven years have passed since ISIS attacked the Yazidi community in Sinjar, Iraq, killing thousands, taking hostages, forcing survivors to seek refuge elsewhere, and destroying major parts of the Yazidi identity. The number of those who have fled is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) the Yazidi population in Sinjar prior to the 2014 attacks numbered roughly half a million. Today, official numbers say that roughly 360,000 Yazidi from the Sinjar region are currently living as internally displaced refugees while another 120,000 live as refugees in Europe, the US, Canada and Australia.
Effects of the Displacement
Life in Camps - Shelter and Infrastructure
The IDP and refugee camps housing vast numbers of the displaced Yazidi community offered assurance of shelter and assistance, as well as educational and livelihood opportunities. Yet, time has shown that reality does not quite add up to the promise. The Yazidi are struggling to access necessary and desperately needed aid for both individuals and the community. Especially concerning to the physical well-being of the Yazidi is the absence of adequate power. Those displaced must endure extreme weather conditions. Shelters cannot be heated in cold winter months, nor can they be cooled in hot summer months when temperatures in countries like Iraq may go up to 40 or 50 degrees Celsius. Not only is this straining for the people, but it also leads to damage and deterioration of the shelter itself. Camps may also require refugees to live completely without shelter due to shortages, exposing displaced people to the elements.
Life in Camps - Health Issues
The inadequate shelters, in addition to other factors, have caused a multitude of health issues in camps. The growth of mildew in the shelters can be linked to aches and pains, digestive disorders, and respiratory tract infections. Moreover, the Yazidi have been reported to be housed in camps which are built nearby oil wells and areas where garbage is burned frequently, making the air quality poor. Camps also expose people to numerous diseases due to limited access to clean drinking water and necessary sanitary products such as soap. Exacerbating the situation is the scarcity of medical supplies and specialised staff. Furthermore, a surge in mental health issues have also recently come to light. Particularly alarming are the multiple suicide cases, as well as the increasing accounts on experiences with psychological trauma, stress, anxiety and more. This not only speaks to the gravity of the issue, but also its urgency. Additional aid is especially necessary now in the midst of a global pandemic, with those displaced being more isolated than ever before, and external help decreasing as nations have shifted their focus on their internal well-being.
Covid-19
Being largely isolated seems to have had the positive effect of camps being spared from the devastation of larger Covid-19 outbreaks. Nonetheless, it is unclear if this is simply due to limited testing, letting many cases go undetected, as poor sanitation and the lack of social distancing in camps would likely create the perfect environment for the virus to spread. A determinate answer cannot be found unless testing is increased. This, and making social distancing and practicing good hygiene possible, is especially vital as more dangerous forms of the virus emerge, making refugees, many of whom are not protected by vaccines, increasingly vulnerable. Some states have already taken initiative to add those living in refugee camps to their vaccination campaigns, however, this should be further expanded to achieve maximum protection for both those displaced and everyone else. Pressuring states to acknowledge that those in refugee camps must also be included in vaccination campaigns is key as only then can we achieve general protection of the public against the virus.
The task will not be simple as lately states have been reluctant to direct funds at humanitarian aid as the global economic recession has hit many hard. Many have indeed retracted funding from humanitarian aid, and governments are argued to be using the pandemic as an excuse to infringe on the right to seek asylum, exposing refugees to long-term displacement, as well as possible violations to the general rights of refugees, such as access to medical care and schooling. These practices should be ceased immediately as they not only jeopardize human rights, but they also hinder efforts to quash the threat created by the virus, as they bar those displaced from getting vaccinated. There is a desperate need for community engagement with the issue through for example activism and making donations to NGOs and others trying to tackle the matter. Some progress has been made as despite the horrific consequences of the genocide, displacement has caused a political awakening within the Yazidi community. The Yazidi and their supporters have taken increased action and spoken out to better protect religious minorities worldwide. Nevertheless, ample work is still required for both preventing displacement and helping those who are currently facing it. The conditions faced by the Yazidi is only a microcosm of the conditions faced by hundreds of thousands of refugees around the world. Thus, the lack of action taken should no longer be excused.
Photo: Andre Dicenzo
Meriam Holmström is a third-year Law student at King’s College London where she also is a writer for Lawyers Without Borders King’s College London division and the European Law Students’ Association
Sources:
‘EMERGING LAND TENURE ISSUES AMONG DISPLACED YAZIDIS FROM SINJAR, IRAQ How chances of return may be further undermined by a discrimination policy dating back 40 years’ (UN Habitat, November 2015),11-13 https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/documents/2019-04/emerging_land_tenure_issues_among_displaced_yazidis_from_sinjar_iraq.pdf,
‘Close to 200,000 Yazidis remain displaced’ (NRC, 13 November 2018) https://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/close-200000-yazidis-remain-displaced,
Jane Arrat, ‘With No Options, Displaced Iraqi Yazidis Return To Homes Destroyed In ISIS Fight’ (NPR, 3 December 2020) https://www.npr.org/2020/12/03/941976085/with-no-options-displaced-iraqi-yazidis-return-to-homes-destroyed-in-isis-fight?t=1628063269450&t=1635453543371
Ghazala Jango, ‘How genocide and displacement threatens Yazidi cultural identity’ (The New Arab, 25 June 2021) https://english.alaraby.co.uk/features/displacement-intensifies-already-ruptured-yazidi-identity
‘Lebanon: Dire Conditions for Syrian Refugees in Border Town
Two Winters Since Homes Dismantled, Many Refugees in Arsal Unprotected’ (Human Rights Watch, 19 January 2021)
https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/01/19/lebanon-dire-conditions-syrian-refugees-border-town
‘Module 3: Food, Water, Sanitation, and Housing in Refugee Camps’ (Unite for Sight) http://www.uniteforsight.org/refugee-health/module3
The Yazidi Refugee Crisis’ (Yazda) https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/421/CIMM/Brief/BR9342569/br-external/Yazda-e.pdf
‘The world’s refugee camps are a coronavirus disaster in waiting’ (The Economist, 6 April 2020)
https://www.economist.com/international/2020/04/06/the-worlds-refugee-camps-are-a-coronavirus-disaster-in-waiting
‘Mental Health and Psychosocial Response during COVID-19 Outbreak’ (UNHCR, 14 June 2020) https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/77112.pdf
Nannie Sköld, ‘UNHCR calls for inclusion of refugees in vaccination plans’ (UNHCR, 17 February 2021) https://www.unhcr.org/neu/51787-unhcr-calls-for-inclusion-of-refugees-in-vaccination-plans.html
Ibid., Alexandra Kotowski, ‘Four things to know about Covid in the world’s largest refugee camp’ (OXFAM International, 11 March 2021)
https://www.oxfam.org/en/blogs/four-things-know-about-covid-worlds-largest-refugee-camp
Mélissa Godin, ‘COVID-19 Outbreaks Are Now Emerging in Refugee Camps. Why Did it Take so Long For the Virus to Reach Them?’ (The Time, 9 October 2020)
https://time.com/5893135/covid-19-refugee-camps/,
UNHCR, ‘Protecting Refugees: questions and answers’ (UNHCR 1 February 2002) https://www.unhcr.org/publications/brochures/3b779dfe2/protecting-refugees-questions-answers.html