Two young Ezidi boy and girl and a teenager girl were found dead the war-ravaged Shingal (Sinjar) region of Ninewa province in the last 72 hours, in two suicide and a suspected murder case, local officials said.
The incidents took place on November 4th, 6th and 7th in complexes and sb-districts of Shingal, home to the Ezidi religious community.
Hania Hadi, 13, resident of Gir Ouzer subdistrict, was found dead midday on November 7th at home.
“Her father, a laborer, was at work and no one of her siblings were at home. She hung a rope after coming back to school and hang her self by neck,” said, Qahtan Khalil, uncle of Hania.
Hania has a brother and two sisters. The family left camp for Internally Displaced People IDP in July 2020 to their hometown.
“She was a smart pupil of class seven and as far as I know she had no problem and her father provided all necessities. We were deeply shocked by the accident.”
as far as I know she had no problem and her father provided all necessities. We were deeply shocked by the accident
The security forces in Shingal set out investigations.
Natiq Alo Hamed, media officer of Shingal police, said basic investigations show Hania committed suicide.”
Shingal, located 120 west of Mosul, center of Nineveh province, used to be home to over half a million Ezidi ethno-religious minority and one of the disputed territories between Baghdad and Erbil. Ezidis also live in Shekhan, Bashiqa and other areas in Duhok northern province.
Seized in August 2014 by ISIS militants whom accused the Ezidis of being “devil worshippers,” Shingal has been the scene of tragedy: a genocidal campaign of killings, rape, abductions and enslavement, and the surviving community fled to safer-heaven IDP camps in the adjacent northern Kurdistan region.
As the war-torn region has not been reconstructed, lack of security, stability, poor infrastructure and inadequate job opportunities makes it hard for the vulnerable community to return home.
Earlier this year, the Iraqi government has decided to form a committee to investigate cases of suicide escalating among the Ezidi IDPs yet so far, no report has been revealed.
A statistic by Shingal mayor office shows 250 cases of suicide has been registered in the IDP camps since 2014, most of the cases were women.
The remarkable surge of suicide among the Internally Displaced People IDPs was an essential topic of a conference held on March 29th in Duhok Northern Province by NGOs, state officials and relevant authorities.
Participants in a poll conducted by an NGO regarding the factors and motives for suicide commitment and attempts said that 20% of their relatives at least once thought about putting an end to their life.
The second victim was Wazha Hammo, 20-year-old resident of Dougry complex of Sinuny sub-district who was found dead on November 6th.
“The whereabout of the accident are still ambiguous, suicide or murder yet we are still collecting information and can’t declare further details up to end of investigations,” Shingal police officer said.
The third victim, Bakir Hammo, 19, was found dead at home on November 4th in Bab al-Kursi of Sinuny.
“We are certain that Bakir and Hania committed suicide yet for Wazha we are not determined and her body was sent to morgue for further investigations,” Khudeda Chuky, mayor of Sinuny told KirkukNow.
A week earlier, a young resident of Khanasor “committed suicide”, Chuky added. “All has to do with unemployment and social issues.”
End of January, 27 Iraqi NGOs called on the Iraqi federal and Kurdistan regional governments to take immediate action about spike in suicide among religious and ethnic minorities in particular those survived tragedies during in the three years fight against ISIS.
IS reportedly used the women and girls as sex slaves. Tens of thousands of Ezidis are leading a miserable life under tents in tens of Internally Displaced People IDP camps in Iraqi Northern Province of Duhok.
