Nadia Murad Basee Taha , a 23-year-old Yazidi woman who escaped ISIS sex slavery has been appointed as a United Nations goodwill ambassador. Nadia will act as an ambassador for the dignity of survivors of human trafficking for the UN’s Drugs and Crime body.
The 23-year-old Nadia was taken from her home village of Kocho near Iraq’s northern town of Sinjar in August 2014 and brought to IS-controlled Mosul, where she was gang-raped, and bought and sold many times.
Nadia was not alone; there were thousands of women like her. In 2014 more than 5000 women were kidnapped by IS. Nadia who belong to Yazidi sect which derives many of its beliefs from Islam and Christianity was somehow lucky to escape from ISIS’ detention.
Nadia describes her sufferings, “I was used in the way that they wanted to use me, and soon I stopped fighting them. I took myself to another world when they raped me.” As time passed, Nadia found a way to escape where thousands others could not. They are still captive.
Nadia hope that one day ISIS militants will be brought to justice for the heinous crimes they committed on Yazidis. She hopes that one day Yazidis will tell the world what ISIS did to them, so that the community can heal.
But she also fears that once ISIS is defeated ISIS terrorists will just shave off their beards and walk the streets of the cities as if nothing has happened.
Commenting Nadia’s appointment, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said, “Nadia survived horrific crimes. I was moved to tears because Nadia has so much strength, courage and dignity.”
