In brief
A network of amateur sleuths, led by individuals like Pari Ibrahim, is actively searching for Yazidi women and girls kidnapped by ISIS. As official searches cease, these dedicated volunteers utilize photographs and personal connections to uncover the fates of those who have been missing for a decade.
The missing, torn from their families a decade ago by ISIS militants, have left a void that many refuse to accept. Although many are likely dead, some may have been sold into sexual slavery, while others remain trapped in detention camps. With the world moving on, a small band of searchers persists in their mission. The plight of hundreds of Yazidi women and girls still held captive has largely gone unnoticed by international organizations. Instead, their fates rest in the hands of activists, family members, and committed volunteers, forming a ragtag army dedicated to rescuing these victims. One such individual is Pari Ibrahim, the executive director of a nonprofit organization in suburban Maryland. At night, she transforms into an investigator, meticulously analyzing photographs of young girls and older women sent by families desperate to find their loved ones. "Sometimes, late at night, I’m working to see if this girl is someone who can be identified,” she explains. The missing individuals are mainly members of the Yazidi religious minority, who were particularly targeted by ISIS during their rise to power in Iraq and Syria in 2014. A United Nations commission reported atrocities committed by the militants, including murder, enslavement, and torture. It’s estimated that around 3,100 Yazidis were killed and more than 6,800 kidnapped in a single month—August 2014. Despite the passage of time and the challenges posed by changes in appearance, Ibrahim and others in her network remain determined to locate these women, driven by compassion and the hope of reuniting families shattered by violence.
