‘They destroyed us’: Yazidi survivors rebuild lives after horror of IS | Middle East Eye

For the last three years Elham Ibrahim, a psychologist, has been treating Yazidis seeking support. She currently works in a clinic inside Khanke camp opened by the Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights.

Since the attack on Sinjar, Ibrahim said she had witnessed a dramatic increase in the need for her services. “They have nightmares, flashbacks, they can’t sleep or eat properly. Sometimes even [their relatives] don’t recognise them. They see them as strangers.” 

Ibrahim is particularly concerned about the women who were enslaved and sexually abused by IS, not only because they have to overcome their trauma, but also because they sometimes have to face the accusing eyes of their own family in a region where rape survivors can be seen as culprits rather than victims.

Read full story: ‘They destroyed us’: Yazidi survivors rebuild lives after horror of IS | Middle East Eye