Education as Reparation: A Right, Not a Privilege

Farida Global Organization Calls for Urgent Action to Restore Education for Survivors of ISIS Atrocities

Ten years after ISIS’s genocidal campaign tore through the Yazidi community and other minorities in Iraq, thousands of survivors are still fighting to rebuild their lives. One of the most powerful tools for recovery—education—remains out of reach for many

Today, alongside the release of the April 2025 Task Team Report “Access to Education as a Form of Reparation for Survivors of ISIS Captivity in Iraq”, Farida Global Organization reaffirms that education is not only a fundamental human right but, under the Yazidi Survivors Law (YSL), a recognized form of reparation.

Education, when delivered in a trauma-informed, survivor-centred way, is more than classrooms and textbooks. It is the restoration of dignity, the rebuilding of self-worth, the pathway to economic independence, and a safeguard against the recurrence of violence. It is an investment in the resilience of individuals and the healing of communities

Yet, barriers—age restrictions, loss of documentation, financial hardship, and lack of tailored support—continue to block survivors from returning to school or starting anew. This is not acceptable.

“Restoring education to survivors is not charity—it is justice. It is a promise we must keep, a wound we must help heal. Without education, reparation remains incomplete.”

— Khalid Qasim, Country Director – Iraq, Farida Global Organization

Survivors themselves have spoken. They want classrooms where they feel understood, flexible learning adapted to their realities, vocational opportunities that match market needs, and scholarships to pursue higher education—both in Iraq and abroad.

One survivor’s words in the report echo with urgency:

“They took our freedom, our families, and our childhood. We cannot get those years back, but we can still build a future—if we are given the chance to learn again.”

The Task Team Report offers clear recommendations:

• Lift administrative and legal barriers to survivor enrolment.
• Develop survivor-tailored education programmes with mental health and psychosocial support.
• Expand scholarships and vocational training, nationally and internationally.
• Ensure survivors are at the heart of programme design and implementation.

Farida Global’s Call to Donors & the International Community:
This is the moment to act. We urge governments, institutions, and individual supporters to invest in education as reparation—fund programmes, remove barriers, and support survivors in reclaiming what was unjustly taken from them.

We invite you to read the full report and stand with us in transforming the right to education from a distant hope into an immediate reality for survivors.

Support Survivors’ Education: https://faridaglobal.org/donate/

Read the Report Here: