Baghdad, Iraq : In a chilling narrative that underscores the brutal reality faced by Yazidi women, Fawzia Amin Sido, now 21, recently shared her harrowing experience of survival after being rescued from Gaza. Kidnapped by ISIS at the tender age of ten, Sido endured years of unimaginable trauma, from sexual slavery to starvation, revealing the depths of human cruelty. The Yazidi community has long been a target of persecution, particularly following ISIS's violent campaign in 2014, which led to the abduction and enslavement of countless women and children. Sido, who was abducted along with her brother, recounted a particularly horrific event during her captivity a moment that continues to haunt her.
"After three days without food, we were fed rice and meat, but something felt wrong,” she told The Jerusalem Post. “Later, we learned the meat was from Yazidi children that ISIS had killed. Hearing that, one woman had a heart attack, and another recognized her son in the photos they showed us." During her nine months in an underground prison alongside 200 other Yazidi women and children, the conditions were dire. “Some children died from dehydration, and we lived in constant fear,” Sido lamented.
She was sold multiple times to jihadist militants, including one named Abu Amr al-Maqdisi, with whom she had two children. In a joint rescue operation by Israel, the U.S., and Iraq, Sido was freed, marking a bittersweet end to an 11-year nightmare. She has since returned to her family in Iraq, yet the scars of her past remain evident. Tragically, both of her children remain in Gaza, held by their captors who plan to raise them as Arab Muslims.
“I was kept in 'Sabaya,' where young girls are sexually exploited,” Sido explained, highlighting the ongoing plight of women in conflict zones. Fawzia Amin Sido's story sheds light on the resilience of the human spirit amidst unspeakable horrors. As she begins to rebuild her life, her account serves as a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggles faced by Yazidi women and the urgent need for global awareness and intervention to prevent such atrocities from continuing in our world today.
