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Petition the government: help Yazidi women

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Global_Summit_to_End_Sexual_Violence_in_Conflict_(14432803373)Call on the UK government to keep its promise to end sexual violence in conflict.

The plight of the thousands of Yazidi women, teenagers and girls kidnapped by ISIS and forced into sexual slavery is heartbreaking and sickening, yet the UK government has not committed to make any concrete effort to help rescue these people.

Former Foreign Secretary William Hague may have enjoyed hobnobbing with Special Envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Angelina Jolie, at the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict 2014, held in London, but apart from basking in the glow of Hollywood celebrity he has since achieved little.

Referred to scathingly as Hague’s ‘Rape Summit’ the event has been described by some as ‘a costly failure’, given that incidences of rape and sexual violence actually increasing in many areas, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

His goal of reducing sexual violence against women in some of the world’s war zones may well take time, as his supporters insist, but there is something that could be done now.

Enter student Rozin Khalil Hanjool, a 17 year-old Yazidi who lives in Coventry.

She has launched a petition on Change.org to urge the UK government to honour its promise to help protect women in Syria and Iraq, and to help rescue the thousands of Yazidi women kidnapped by ISIS.

At the time of writing, the petition has already over 100,000 signatures.

In her petition, she writes: “More than 3,000 Yazidi women and girls have been kidnapped by ISIS in Northern Iraq. They have been raped and tortured by their captors. Last week three girls, who managed to escape, visited London and told their stories.

“Now that we have heard the stories of what is happening to these girls, we must help them. There is a lot that the UK Government can do, that’s why I have started this petition.

“When I hear what has happened to these girls I cry. It is my worst nightmare. I know girls as young as 12 have been taken. If I was there now I would be so so scared.

“Many girls have managed to escape but they are scattered in refugee camps and getting little help. They are scared and traumatised, some are pregnant. They need medical help, psychological support and rehabilitation.

“Last year Angelina Jolie came to London and the UK Government held a Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. The Government promised to “provide greater support and protection to survivors of sexual violence, including children”.

“We must ask the UK government to keep their promise.”

Hopefully Hajool’s petition will gather enough support to prompt the government to commit to their promise to help tackle sexual violence in conflict.

It doesn’t necessarily take a multi-million start-studded bash to raise awareness and get the job done. Just do it.

Click here to sign the petition.

  1. Richard Arnold says:

    It’s about time the government kept it’s word and did something more to help these girls. Like so many other comments they have made about the refugee crisis in Iraq and Syria its just empty words while people go on suffering. Time they were shamed into acting by the British people.

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