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Sexual Violence Under ISIS Control

"You should focus on 50% of the population, which is women, and see what is happening to them. You should mention them, you should have the courage to say 'yes this is done to our women; this is done to our sisters, daughters, wives...'" said Haleh Esfandiari.

The news is full of beheadings, but ISIS fighters are now infamous for a campaign of sexual violence. This interview with Haleh Esfandiari on NPR's On Point with Tom Ashbrook looks at the Islamic State’s war on women.

The beheadings have been more than bad enough.  And the mass graves of young men frog-marched through the desert.  And the communities sent running, slaughtered, for their beliefs.  But the ISIS treatment of women – the reporting of kidnappings and enslavement and rape houses of the self-styled Islamic State – deserve special attention.  Too many wars come with sexual atrocity and horror.  But this group fights under the banner of God.  Claims to be the caliphate.  God’s reign on earth.  It looks like hell for women. 

"My argument is that you have to go one step beyond it (condemning terrorism); beyond generally saying terrorism. You should focus on 50% of the population, which is women, and see what is happening to them. You should mention them, you should have the courage to say 'yes this is done to our women; this is done to our sisters, daughters, wives, whatever.' They should have the courage to say that. There is nothing wrong with it. That's how then you start getting people focused on this," says Haleh Esfandiari

She adds that, "hope lies in that we continue talking about it and we do something about it. We don't want to, once again, have another study topic of what ISIS is doing to women. We have to take concrete steps, on the ground, to rescue these people.”

The original interview was posted by NPR's On Point with Tom Ashbrook. 

Contributor

Haleh Esfandiari headhsot

Haleh Esfandiari

Distinguished Fellow; Director Emerita, Middle East Program 
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Middle East Program

The Wilson Center’s Middle East Program serves as a crucial resource for the policymaking community and beyond, providing analyses and research that helps inform U.S. foreign policymaking, stimulates public debate, and expands knowledge about issues in the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.  Read more