Women and children endure grave sexual abuses in ISIS refugee camps, study says

By Hannah Wiley
USA Today
April 17, 2018

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/04/17/isis-refugee-camps-sexual-abuse-amnesty-international/524327002/

Internally displaced Iraqis, who fled the ongoing fighting between Islamic State (ISIL) group jihadists and government forces around Mosul, walk in the mud following heavy rain at the al-Khazir camp for displaced people, located between Arbil and Mosul, on Dec. 1, 2016. Photo by THOMAS COEX

Women and children in Iraq connected to Islamic State militants are being placed in refugee camps, where they are subjected to sexual abuse and denied basic needs like food and water, said an Amnesty International report released Tuesday. 

Researchers believe the sustained mistreatment could lead to a new generation of supporters of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.

"These women and children have such a deep sense of injustice, and the women kept telling us this will lead to a next cycle of violence and the next generation of ISIS," said Nicolette Waldman, co-author of the report and Iraq researcher at Amnesty International. "These violations could very well lead to ISIS 2.0 and then it will be back to square one fighting another war in Iraq." 

ISIS began seizing Iraqi territories in February 2014 and swiftly extended its control throughout Iraq and into Syria and Libya. After four years of United States' intervention in the region, Iraq claimed victory over ISIS in late 2017. But the cleanup efforts have only just begun, starting with arresting and putting to death suspected ISIS militants, and placing women and children connected to fighters in camps. 

Journalists and humanitarian workers at the camp are worried about long-term implications from the sexual abuse, including pregnancies, unsafe abortions and sexually transmitted diseases. 

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has not returned Amnesty International's calls for a response, Waldman said. 

For the report, Amnesty International conducted interviews with 92 women from eight camps between October  and March.

Among the top takeaways from the report:

• ISIS families are not allowed to leave or move freely throughout the camps. They cannot obtain identification documents, leaving them susceptible to unemployment and incapable of returning to their homes. 

• The women said they are sexually exploited and in some cases raped. Alleged perpetrators include humanitarian relief workers and doctors, and armed militia men and shelter guards. The women and children live in tents easily infiltrated by camp personnel.

• The women’s connection to ISIS members is assumed, not proven. While some ties are directly linked to alleged ISIS militants, other women are related to distant employees of ISIS officials. In other instances, the name of a male family member too closely resembled the name of a wanted ISIS militant.

• The women and children are allegedly suffering from trauma related to violence. Women shared stories of their children dying in airstrikes or detailing injuries, like the loss of a limb, during a bombing.