Yazidi women sold to IS fighters in Syria

Description

An article published by Agence France-Presse on August 30 reported the kidnapping of dozens of Iraqi Yazidi women by Islamic State militants. The women were reportedly being forced to convert to Islam and then to marry IS fighters in Iraq and Syria. The women are said to be considered spoils of war and being sold exclusively to IS fighters at $1,000 per woman.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the sale of 27 Yazidi women to IS fighters in the northeast of Aleppo province and parts of Raqa and Hassakeh province in Syria, according to AFP. The observatory said it has information that as many as 300 have been kidnapped and taken to the country.

The exact dates of the reported sexualized violence are unknown. Because Syrian government officials currently refuse to allow access to journalists, researchers, and aid workers, WMC's Women Under Siege cannot independently verify this report of sexualized violence in Syria.