Middle East and
North Africa

Credit: Mural by Suhaib Attar, Amman Jordan.

Years of advocacy support to our member Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights led to the creation of a protocol for monitoring State implementation of the national reparations programme for Yazidi torture survivors.

In their genocidal attacks on the Yazidi, members of so-called Islamic State carried out mass rapes of Yazidi women. Iraqi member centre Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights has been advocating for the need to strengthen international law to address sexual violence in conflict as torture and this was set out in the first thematic report on the subject by a UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

The report focused extensively on issues that IRCT and members contributed, in particular on investigation, documentation and reparation, and the role of stigma in victims’ pursuit of justice and reparations. The report creates the foundation for further policy and capacity development work by the IRCT and was presented to members and our wider audience through participation of the SRT in our webinar series on sexual torture, which was then widely disseminated through IRCT Communications products.

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Dr Alice Edwards meets with survivors of Islamic State’s genocidal attack on the Yazidis of Northern Iraq in the office of Jiyan in Duhok on 10th June 2024.

IRCT Insights

Sexual Torture: What Is It? What Is It Not?

IRCT Insights

Sexual Torture: Stigma: What Role Does Stigma Play?

IRCT Insights

Sexual Torture: Disclosure, Documentation and the Istanbul Protocol

IRCT Insights

Sexual Torture: Intervention and Treatment Approaches in Kosovo and Guatemala

Over the past year, 152 survivors of torture and their families – including refugees and host community members – received free, evidence-based rehabilitation services in Lebanon.

The programme offered by IRCT member, RESTART Center, provided tailored psychotherapy, psychiatric support, and physiotherapy to address individual needs.

Results have been significant: participants’ Perceived Stress Scale scores dropped by 36%, from 3.8 to 2.4, reflecting improved stress management and coping skills. Assessments showed marked progress in physical and emotional health, with reductions in pain, fatigue, gastrointestinal issues, and muscle tension.

By discharge, 88% of beneficiaries improved in at least one symptom area. Of those treated, 73% received physiotherapy and 23% underwent psychotherapy.

These outcomes underscore the vital role of accessible, specialised rehabilitation in enhancing the quality of life for Lebanon’s most vulnerable populations, offering hope and tangible improvements for survivors and their families.

Poster by Restart Center in Lebanon.