The ongoing efforts to rescue women kidnapped by ISIS have seen the emergence of a network of amateur sleuths, activists, and family members dedicated to locating the missing, particularly from the Yazidi community. One such individual, Pari Ibrahim, the executive director of the Free Yezidi Foundation, spends her evenings examining photographs of potential captives, hoping to identify women taken as long as a decade ago.
The Yazidis, a religious minority, were targeted during ISIS's brutal campaign that began in 2014, resulting in thousands being killed or kidnapped. Currently, nearly 2,600 Yazidis remain unaccounted for, with estimates suggesting that around 1,000 may still be in captivity. Despite the United Nations labeling the treatment of Yazidis as genocide, efforts to find the missing have largely fallen to informal networks, as official investigations have ceased.
This network operates similarly to a modern-day Underground Railroad, utilizing messaging apps to share information and photographs. Informants and human smugglers are often hired by families seeking to reunite with their loved ones. Individuals like Abduallah Abbas Khalaf have played critical roles in rescuing captives by leveraging personal connections and impersonating militants online to gather information.
While the open slave markets of the ISIS caliphate have disappeared, women and girls continue to be trafficked discreetly across borders. Investigators have found captives in various locations, including Turkey and the Gaza Strip. The challenges of locating these individuals have been exacerbated by ongoing instability in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria.
In detention camps like Al Hol, Yazidi women face dire conditions, living alongside ISIS members and their families. The camp presents unique challenges for rescuers, as captives often fear revealing their identities. Despite these obstacles, some Yazidi women have been successfully liberated, although many face stigma and fear of rejection upon return.
Individuals within the rescue network, such as Barjas Khidhir Sabri, have developed their own methods for gathering information, even working with ISIS members out of necessity. The complexity of the situation is underscored by the emotional and psychological challenges faced by those rescued, including fears of acceptance within their communities.
Some, like Marwa Nawaf Abas, have successfully escaped and rebuilt their lives, while others remain in precarious situations, highlighting the ongoing struggle to rescue and reintegrate Yazidi women and children affected by ISIS's atrocities.