March 1st 2025 marks four years since the Iraqi parliament passed the Yazidi Female Survivors Law (YSL) establishing an administrative reparation programme aimed at giving effect to survivors’ right to reparation. The law provides access to a variety of rights and benefits to harmed Yazidi, Turkmen, Christian, and Shabak women and girls and Yazidi boys kidnapped by ISIL as well as women and men from indicated components who survived mass killings carried out by ISIL.

The YSL mandates several critical reparative measures such as financial support; medical and psychological care; the provision of land, housing, education, and employment. Moreover, it officially recognizes that ISIL committed genocide and crimes against humanity, mandates memorialization, the search for those still in captivity, the opening of mass graves, identification of remains and their return to the families and calls Iraqi institutions to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable. The associated bylaws further extend these obligations, including developing specialized curricula on ISIL conflict to promote peaceful coexistence and renunciation of violence.

The Coalition for Just Reparations (C4JR) and the Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights are publishing the third More than “Ink on Paper” annual report evaluating the current stage of YSL implementation. We do this in good faith and with a view to ensuring that the YSL realizes its full potential and doesn’t remain, as some survivors had put it, merely ink on paper.

Four years on from its passing, we can celebrate the achievements of the YSL implementation, but also remain steadfast in pointing out its shortcomings. Most importantly, more should be done to ensure transparency around YSL eligibility parameters and improve access to the application and appeals process. Similarly, greater effort is needed to establish a sustainable state sponsored system for the provision of holistic rehabilitation services—that includes specialist psychological, medical, social, educational, vocational, and legal rehabilitation components—and to investigate and prosecute international crimes committed by ISIL. Finally, the search for more than 2,600 missing individuals remains a top priority for survivors, their families and communities.

With ongoing attempts to disrupt the international human rights and justice frameworks, ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Democratic Republic of the Congo and elsewhere, as well as the regime change in Syria in mind, we must remind the international community, governments and relevant actors of all political colours, time and again, of the critical importance of reparations! Namely, reparations are the only transitional justice measure capable of, if properly implemented, directly facilitating survivors’ ability to repair their lives and realize their life plans. Timely access to comprehensive reparations can also alter the migration patterns in that flight will not be seen by survivors as their “best chance” in the struggle for self-determination and living a life with dignity. The YSL can, if properly implemented, serve as a roadmap or a gold standard that can be replicated in other post-conflict societies. Finally, instead of (only) building up military capacities’, states should prioritize investing in reparations, as the dividend of such investment will be peace.

Sincerely