We empower survivors take their lives back.
Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights is a charitable organization supporting survivors of human rights violations, defending fundamental freedoms, and promoting democratic values. Our programs provide mental health and medical treatment, and other support services to survivors of trauma, terror, domestic violence and human rights violations in Kurdistan-Iraq, Iraq, and northeast Syria.
Our monthly newsletter is designed to keep our community informed on our work supporting survivors of trauma, terror, domestic violence, and human rights violations in the regions we serve.
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More Than “Ink on Paper”: Four Years Since the Adoption of the Yazidi Survivors Law
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.
A New Beginning for Syria: Towards a Future Free of Violence and Injustice
Jiyan Foundation reaffirms its commitment to expanding its work and services beyond Qamishlo to reach more Syrian people. Our focus will remain on providing essential psychological support, humanitarian aid, and fostering values of coexistence and justice.
Advancing Mental Health Support in Kurdistan Region: A Successful Conference on Providers’ Perspectives
The Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights recently hosted a pivotal conference, “Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq—The Providers’ Perspective,”. This event had a big impact because it talked about important problems that mental health support in the KRI faces, such as limited access to good therapy services, strict laws for psychologists, and ongoing social stigma around mental health.
Jiyan and Human Rights
Every person has a right to enjoy “the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health”*. This means that the base of our work, mental health, is a human right!
Not every state has the opportunity to help its citizens achieve this maximum level of health. Especially in countries where past conflicts and terror have traumatized many people, there is a lack of care options in the psychotherapeutic field.
The Jiyan Foundation was established in 2005 to fill this gap and to provide care for psychologically distressed survivors and bereaved families of victims of human rights violations in Iraq.
2024 Open Letter to Permanent Representatives to the United Nations in advance of the annual Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security
In advance of the October 2024 Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security, this open letter was sent to UN Member States on behalf of Jiyan Foundation and 627 civil society signatories from 110 countries working on issues related to gender equality and women’s rights, peace and security, human rights, humanitarian assistance, and protection of civilians. The letter calls on the Security Council and Member States to take decisive action to protect women’s rights in conflicts and crises around the world.
Trauma Therapy Success: Zahra’s Recovery Story
Discover how Zahra overcame domestic violence and rebuilt her life with the help of EU-funded trauma therapy. Learn about the transformative power of psychological treatment and the importance of supporting survivors.