Sexual violence and slavery Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

sexual violence perpetrated isil includes using rape weapon of war; instituting forced marriages fighters; , trading women , girls sex slaves.

there many reports of sexual abuse , enslavement in isil-controlled areas of women , girls, predominantly minority christian , yazidi communities. fighters told free have sex or rape non-muslim captive women. haleh esfandiari woodrow wilson international center scholars has highlighted abuse of local women isil militants after have captured area. take older women makeshift slave market , try sell them. younger girls ... raped or married off fighters , said, adding, s based on temporary marriages, , once these fighters have had sex these young girls, pass them on other fighters.

the capture of iraqi cities group in june 2014 accompanied upsurge in crimes against women, including kidnap , rape. according martin williams in citizen, hard-line salafists apparently regard extramarital sex multiple partners legitimate form of holy war , difficult reconcile religion adherents insist women must covered head toe, narrow slit eyes .

as of august 2015, trade in sex slaves appeared remain restricted yazidi women , girls. has reportedly become recruiting technique attract men conservative muslim societies, dating , casual sex not allowed. nazand begikhani said of yazidi victims, these women have been treated cattle ... have been subjected physical , sexual violence, including systematic rape , sex slavery. ve been exposed in markets in mosul , in raqqa, syria, carrying price tags. according un reports price list sex slaves range 40 160 dollars. younger slave more expensive. girls , boys between age 1–9 referred expensive, cheapest being women between 40 , 50 years old. according source price of slave equals price of ak-47.

a united nations report issued on 2 october 2014, based on 500 interviews witnesses, said isil took 450–500 women , girls iraq s nineveh region in august, 150 unmarried girls , women, predominantly yazidi , christian communities, reportedly transported syria, either given isil fighters reward or sold sex slaves . in mid-october, un confirmed 5,000–7,000 yazidi women , children had been abducted isil , sold slavery. in november 2014 new york times reported on accounts given 5 escaped isil of captivity , abuse. in december 2014, iraqi ministry of human rights announced isil had killed on 150 women , girls in fallujah refused participate in sexual jihad. non-muslim women have reportedly been married off fighters against will. isil claims women provide new converts , children necessary spread isil s control.

shortly after death of hostage kayla mueller confirmed on 10 february 2015, several media outlets reported intelligence community believed may have been given wife isil fighter. in august 2015 confirmed had been forced marriage abu bakr al-baghdadi, raped repeatedly. mueller family informed federal bureau of investigation (fbi) abu bakr al-baghdadi had sexually abused ms. mueller, , ms. mueller had been tortured. abu sayyaf s widow, umm sayyaf, confirmed husband had been mueller s primary abuser.

in digital magazine dabiq, isil explicitly claimed religious justification enslaving yazidi women. according wall street journal, isil appeals apocalyptic beliefs , claims justification hadith interpret portraying revival of slavery precursor end of world . isil appeals hadith , quran when claiming right enslave , rape captive non-muslim women. according dabiq, enslaving families of kuffar , taking women concubines firmly established aspect of sharia s if 1 deny or mock, denying or mocking verses of quran , narration of prophet ... , thereby apostatizing islam. captured yazidi women , children divided among fighters captured them, 1 fifth taken tax. isil has received widespread criticism muslim scholars , others in muslim world using part of quran derive ruling in isolation, rather considering entire quran , hadith. according mona siddiqui, isil s narrative may wrapped in familiar language of jihad , fighting in cause of allah , amounts little more destruction of , doesn t agree them ; describes isil reflecting lethal mix of violence , sexual power , flawed view of manhood . dabiq describes large-scale enslavement of non-muslims first since abandonment of shariah law .

yjÊ women fighters trained kurdish workers party guerillas defend against islamist extremists.

in late 2014, isil released pamphlet focused on treatment of female slaves. claims quran allows fighters have sex captives, including adolescent girls, , beat slaves discipline. pamphlet s guidelines allow fighters trade slaves, including sex, long have not been impregnated owners. charlie winter, researcher @ counter-extremist think tank quilliam, described pamphlet abhorrent . in response document abbas barzegar, religion professor @ georgia state university, said muslims around world find isil s alien interpretation of islam grotesque , abhorrent . muslim leaders , scholars around world have rejected validity of isil s claims, claiming reintroduction of slavery un-islamic, required protect people of scripture including christians, jews, muslims , yazidis, , isil s fatwas invalid due lack of religious authority , fatwas inconsistency islam.

the independent reported in 2015 usage of yazidi sex slaves had created ongoing friction among fighters within isil. sajad jiyad, research fellow , associate member @ iraqi institute economic reform, told newspaper many isil supporters , fighters had been in denial trafficking of kidnapped yazidi women until dabiq article justifying practice published. new york times said in august 2015 [t]he systematic rape of women , girls yazidi religious minority has become enmeshed in organization , radical theology of islamic state in year since group announced reviving slavery institution. article claims isil not merely exonerating sacralising rape, , illustrated testimony of escapees. 1 15-year-old victim said that, while being assaulted, rapist kept telling me ibadah ; 12-year-old victim related how assailant claimed that, raping me, drawing closer god ; , 1 adult prisoner told how, when challenged captor repeatedly raping 12 year old, met retort, no, s not little girl, s slave , knows how have sex , having sex pleases god.

in july 2016 reported ap investigation isil using mobile apps telegram sell sex slaves , identify slaves of other isil members @ checkpoints. in 2016, commission international justice , accountability said had identified 34 senior isil members instrumental in systematic sex slave trade , planned prosecute them after end of hostilities.