Two Yazidi women will be this year’s joint winners of the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, the EU Parliament announced on Thursday.
The award ceremony will be held on December 14 to honour Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar.
EU Parliament President Martin Schulz said on Thursday, after the decision made by himself and the political group leaders: “We are demonstrating that their fight has not been in vain and that we are prepared to step up to the plate to help them in their fight against the hardship and brutality perpetrated by this so-called Islamic state to which so many people are still exposed to.
“They were able to flee, to escape to Europe and find sanctuary here.”
Survivors’ story
Murad and Aji Bashar were able to survive sexual enslavement by the so called Islamic State (IS).
Since their escape, both women have become spokesperson for women afflicted by IS’s campaign of sexual violence against Yazidis.
They are both from Kocho, one of the villages near Sinjar, Iraq. On August 3, 2014, Islamic State militants slaughtered all the males in the village. Young women, including Aji Bashar, Murad, and their sisters, were abducted by the militants and forced into sex slavery.
Murad had escaped in November 2014 with the help of a neighbouring family, who smuggle her out of the IS-controlled area.
She was then able to reach a refugee camp in northern Iraq and later Germany.
A year later in December 2015, Murad addressed the UN Security Council’s first-ever session on human trafficking with a powerful speech about her experience. In
September 2016, she became the first UNODC Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking, participating in global and local advocacy initiatives to raise awareness around the plight of the countless victims of trafficking.
Aji Bashar tried to flee several times before finally escaping in April 2016 with the help of her family, who paid local smugglers. While fleeing, a landmine exploded, killing two of her acquaintances while leaving her injured and almost blind. She managed to escape and was eventually sent for medical treatment in Germany, where she was reunited with her surviving siblings. Since her recovery Aji Bashar has been active in raising awareness of the plight of the Yazidi community and continues to help women and children who were victims of IS enslavement and atrocities.
The finalists
Murad and Aji Bashar were among the three finalists for the 2016 Sakharov Prize. Find out more about the other finalists Can Dündar and the defenders of freedom of thought and expression in Turkey as well as Mustafa Dzhemilev here.
More on the Sakharov Prize
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is awarded each year by the European Parliament. It was set up in 1988 to honour individuals and organisations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms. The prize is accompanied by an award of €50,000. Last year the prize was awarded to Raif Badawi.
Yazidis
Yazidis are an ethno-religious group in present-day Iraq, Turkey, and Syria. Their religion is monotheistic and they believe that god sent seven angels to protect the world.
Since IS has seized control of many areas that are predominantly Yazidi, many women have been forced into sexual slavery.
An Economist report in 2015, said that since the invasion of the militant group a number of Yazidi women began receiving training and fighting back against the militants.
Read more here.
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