The fictionalized Kurdish character Zara has been lauded in reviews for the depth and complexity of her character. Her fictional external would, her rationalization for her behavior, her desire to die to save others, comes from a very non-fictional tragedy. The abduction, rape, and sale into slavery of 6,800 Yazidi women and children in the 2014 Sinjar Massacre.
Zara’s trauma, because of her fictional kidnapping by the Daesh as she visited her Yazidi cousins, and the vivid portrayal of similar massacres and mass violations of women in the fictional ancient times chapters, led some reviewers to criticize The Matriarch Matrix. The intent of this storyline was to highlight the injustices committed against women not only in 2014, but across humanity’s dark history.
In The Matriarch Messiah, Zara’s inner wound is finally exposed. The one she loves the most plays the most unconventional therapist helping her seek redemption, forgiveness, and acceptance. Her inner wound stems from not her own kidnapping, but the fate of her Yazidi cousins.
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To help readers better understand not only the history behind Zara’s fictional wound, but highlight the tragedy of that war, a summary lies below with references for more reading:
The 2014 Sinjar Massacre: A Tragedy of Sexual Violence and the Yazidi Struggle for Healing
In August 2014, the Islamic State (as my editor had commented, the term DAESH is a less religiously judgmental term) launched a brutal campaign against the Yazidi community in Sinjar, northern Iraq, marking one of the darkest chapters of modern genocide. The attack, aimed at eradicating the ethnoreligious minority, resulted in the massacre of thousands of men, the abduction of approximately 6,800 women and children, and the displacement of over 400,000 Yazidis. While the world has since recognized these atrocities as genocide, the survivors—particularly women and girls subjected to rape, sexual slavery, and torture—continue to grapple with profound trauma. Their journey toward healing remains fraught with systemic challenges, even as thousands remain missing nearly a decade later.
The Scale of Abductions and the Fight for Return
Of the estimated 6,800 Yazidis abducted by DAESH, roughly 3,000 were women and girls forced into sexual slavery. As of late 2023, approximately 2,800 survivors have been rescued or escaped, often through perilous efforts by activists, families, or international organizations. Tragically, around 2,700 remain unaccounted for. Many were trafficked across DAESH-held territories in Iraq and Syria, sold in markets, or given as “gifts” to fighters. While some have been located in refugee camps, detention centers, or households of former DAESH collaborators, recovery efforts are hindered by bureaucracy, lack of resources, and the scattered aftermath of DAESH’s territorial defeat.
Trauma and the Battle for Reintegration
Survivors who return face a labyrinth of psychological, physical, and social scars. Sexual violence was weaponized systematically: girls as young as nine were subjected to repeated rape, forced marriage, and pregnancy. Many endure chronic pain from injuries or sexually transmitted infections, while others bear children conceived through rape—a reality that complicates their acceptance in a conservative community grappling with stigma.
The Yazidi women who survived captivity and returned home faced profound physical and psychological trauma. Physically, many suffered from chronic pain, injuries, and health complications resulting from abuse and neglect during their captivity. Psychologically, survivors experienced severe conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and dissociation. Nightmares, flashbacks, and feelings of guilt were common, alongside struggles with social rejection and reintegration into their communities.
Psychologically, survivors report severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and suicidal ideation. A 2021 study by the Journal of Traumatic Stress found that 97% of Yazidi women survivors exhibited PTSD symptoms, and 68% had attempted suicide. Social reintegration is equally fraught. Some families, influenced by patriarchal norms, reject survivors due to misplaced shame, while others struggle to support them amid poverty and displacement. Organizations like Nadia’s Initiative, founded by Nobel laureate Nadia Murad (herself a survivor), provide trauma counseling, economic programs, and advocacy, yet funding and accessibility remain inconsistent.
Historical Parallels: Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War
The Sinjar Massacre is not an isolated horror. Over the past two centuries, mass sexual violence has repeatedly been deployed to terrorize populations:
Nanjing Massacre (1937–1938): During Japan’s occupation of Nanjing, soldiers raped 20,000–80,000 Chinese women, often murdering them afterward. Survivors faced lifelong stigma, with many remaining silent until their deaths.
- Bangladesh Liberation War (1971): Pakistani forces raped 200,000–400,000 Bengali women, whom the government later labeled “war heroines” to mitigate ostracization—a controversial gesture that failed to address their trauma.
- Rwandan Genocide (1994): An estimated 250,000–500,000 Tutsi women were raped by Hutu militias, with HIV used as a deliberate tool of genocide. Many died of AIDS, leaving orphaned children.
- Bosnian War (1992–1995): Serb forces established “rape camps,” targeting 20,000–50,000 Bosniak women. Children born from these assaults, like those of Yazidi survivors, often face identity crises.
- Comfort Women System (1932–1945): Imperial Japan enslaved 200,000 women across Asia in military brothels, a crime denied by Japanese authorities for decades.
These examples reveal a grim pattern: sexual violence as a tool of ethnic cleansing, demoralization, and patriarchal domination.
Survival after Sexual Violence and Genocide: Trauma and Healing for Yazidi Women in Northern Iraq
