The forgotten victims of IS | DW Documentary

Najlaa Matto is a Yazidi. As a young woman living in Iraq, she was abducted and enslaved by IS fighters. After she was freed, Najlaa went back to her home village and met other former slaves who told her about the ordeals they’d suffered.

The plight of the Yazidis began on August 03, 2014 when members of the so-called Islamic State (IS) attacked Sinjar in northern Iraq and began to commit genocide against the religious minority. Tens of thousands of Yazidis could do nothing but flee, but not everyone escaped in time. IS fighters killed the men, and abducted women and children to turn them into slaves. This is what happened to Najlaa Matto. Three years later, she returned to the place where IS captured her and killed her parents.
Najlaa’s journey is a painful one, but it also marks a kind of rebirth. Because today Najlaa Matto says: "I’m stronger than IS." At a refugee camp she meets other former slaves, including her cousin Lamya who gave birth to two daughters during her captivity. Her children were fathered by the same men responsible for the murder of Lamya‘s parents.

This documentary by Düzen Tekkal presents stories of women who were subjected to rape as a weapon of war, and serves as a sobering reminder of the genocide committed against the Yazidis.


__

DW Documentary gives you knowledge beyond the headlines. Watch top documentaries from German broadcasters and international production companies. Meet intriguing people, travel to distant lands, get a look behind the complexities of daily life and build a deeper understanding of current affairs and global events. Subscribe and explore the world around you with DW Documentary.

Subscribe to:
DW Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW39zufHfsuGgpLviKh297Q?sub_confirmation=1#
DW Documental (Spanish): https://www.youtube.com/dwdocumental
DW Documentary (Arabic): https://www.youtube.com/dwdocarabia

For more visit:
http://www.dw.com/en/tv/docfilm/s-3610
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/dwdocumentary/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/dw.stories

We kindly ask viewers to read and stick to the DW netiquette policy on our channel: https://p.dw.com/p/MF1G