Yazidi women have decided to open an information centre in Iraq, under the leadership of the Free Yazidi Women’s Movement (TAJÊ), to prevent the genocide of 3 August 2014 onwards by ISIS from being forgotten and to increase solidarity amongst women.

Farida Shengali, a co-ordinator of the Yazidi Women’s Mutual Assistance Network, talked to Jinha about the activities the information centre is planning, under the leadership of the TAJÊ.

Iraqi women need to get to know Yazidi women, Shengali said. She stressed that it is important that the fact that the genocide happened is accepted in Iraq.

“If we can secure acceptance in Iraq that the genocide happened, this will be a very important achievement. We, as the Sinjar Women’s Council, will start working towards this.”

Taking note of the fact that during the last genocidal assault by ISIS in Sinjar (which the Yazidis refer to as the 74th Farman), thousands of Yazidi women became captives of ISIS, she stated that the information centre will be a platform for Iraqi women to gain an insight into the nature of the ISIS assault on Yazidi women.

“In fact, we believe it is necessary that we have a more comprehensive approach to ISIS’s Farman. This is why we need to open an information centre including the Iraqi women too.”

She pointed out that the slaughter of women was not restricted to Sinjar. “Women have been murdered, killed, taken captive in many places, not just in Sinjar. This situation, that is, genocide directed at women, happens all over Iraq.”

“For this reason, we need to make a new formation and gather together the ideas of women by means of the information centre, and save ourselves from these massacres, this genocide.”

She stated that women would co-operate with each other through this activity. “We hope to be successful. Because through this work, the ideas of the women will be shared, and this in itself is a great success.”