Rihan’s Story of Captivity and Courage

On the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, we remember that behind every statistic is a story – of a life forever altered by conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). Rihan’s story, marked by captivity, loss, survival, and strength, is one such story. 

Her experience highlights not only a personal tragedy, but a broader pattern in which sexual violence is deliberately used in conflict to devastate individuals and dismantle communities from within. Without real accountability, the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war will persist. Rescuing survivors like Rihan is one critical step toward confronting this crime – and toward delivering the justice, support, and dignity that all survivors deserve.

Before the Darkness

Rihan grew up in the peaceful village of Hardan, north of Mount Sinjar, in northern Iraq. Her family’s door was never locked, not because they had nothing to fear, but because they were well-known and respected in their community. 

Neighbors regularly turned to her father, Ismael, for help solving problems and words of wisdom. Rihan and her eight siblings spent their days working in the fields and attending school. And their mother, Eida, treated everyone in Hardan as if they were her own children.

What Rihan’s family lacked in material wealth, they more than made up for in their deep bonds with one another and with the place they called home.

The Invasion

In August 2014, everything changed for Rihan, her family, and so many others across Sinjar. 

Rihan was only fourteen years old when ISIS fighters stormed her home village, killing her brothers Noori, Jihad, and Maher; kidnapping and enslaving Rihan, her sister, Nora, and their sister-in-law, Marina; and leaving the fate of her father, Ismael – who was also taken that day – unknown. 

In just one day, Rihan lost her home, her family, and the life she had always known.

After Years of Suffering, a Hard-Won Miracle

During Rihan’s eight years in captivity, ISIS moved her between Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, inflicting unimaginable physical and psychological pain along the way. 

Marina, who was pregnant when taken, gave birth in captivity to a daughter, Mahera, named after the father the child would never meet.

Then, in June 2023 – nearly nine years after the horrific invasion of Hardan – a long-awaited miracle occurred. 

A rescue team from Nadia’s Initiative found Rihan in Turkey and brought her to safety. 

Although Rihan was finally free, her liberation brought heartbreak. Six months after her rescue, Rihan learned that her brothers’ remains had been found in a mass grave.

Rihan had once played freely in Hardan alongside the brothers she now mourned. Visiting their grave, she cried not just for them but for everything her family, and so many other Yazidis, had lost.

Choosing Purpose After Pain

Despite everything she endured, Rihan refused to let her story end in despair. Now living in Canada with her surviving family, she carries with her the pain of the past – but also the strength of someone who has chosen to live with purpose. At just 25 years old, she has been a carefree child, a captive, a survivor, and now, a brave advocate for healing. 

She walks forward not as a victim, but as a young woman determined to help others find light after darkness. Rihan is a symbol of hope – and her story offers proof that even after profound suffering, it is possible to rebuild, reclaim dignity, and live with compassion.