15. August 2025 – BACK TO LIFE
PATHWAYS TO JUSTICE AND RECOVERY: SUPPORTING SURVIVORS SEEKING REPARATIONS UNDER THE YAZIDI SURVIVORS LAW
Justice and reparations are fundamental to acknowledging the harm experienced by genocide survivors and supporting their long-term recovery. Ensuring that survivors receive support through psychological, legal and socio-economic pathways is not only a moral obligation and necessary for survival and healing, but also a crucial foundation for sustainable peace and reconciliation.
Our BACK TO LIFE project in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq supports internally displaced women and girls – survivors of war, destruction, and genocide – in rebuilding independent and self-determined lives. Operating within two camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), our BACK TO LIFE Women’s Empowerment Centers have provided women of all faiths with a safe space to process traumatic experiences and develop new skills. Our current focus includes providing mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS), vocational training such as handicrafts and gardening, and legal assistance for Yazidi survivors seeking reparations under the Yazidi Survivors Law (YSL).
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The Yazidi Survivors Law was passed by the Iraqi parliament in response to the genocide in March 2021. The law intends to provide reparative measures for survivors of crimes committed by ISIS in Iraq and mandates state-sponsored reparative measures ranging from financial compensation, medical and psychological assistance, educational services, provision of land or housing units and a quota in public sector employment. Furthermore, it mandates the search for those still in captivity, the exhumation of mass graves (including identification and return of remains), and memorialization. The YSL also calls on Iraqi institutions to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.
Over the past years, significant advancements to the implementation of the law have been made. However, the implementation of the law on the ground often encounters new challenges, such as complicated application processes and the coverage of legal cost and transportation expenses.
At BACK TO LIFE, our Legal Advisor Lozan supports and advises survivors throughout the application process; in addition, we conduct awareness-raising activities on YSL rights and survivor entitlements, including roundtable discussions with survivors, civil society organizations, and government representatives. Through our efforts, we aim to ensure that survivors are not only heard, but meaningfully supported in rebuilding their lives.
Thank you to the German Federal Foreign Office for supporting BACK TO LIFE.