The Unspoken Victimhood of Men

Published by Ezidi Times on

Photo: CC Hisham Haji Badal. Follow Hisham on Instagram: hisham_art_74.

Since the beginning of the 2014 Ezidi genocide, thousands of articles and social media posts have been dedicated to the female victims of sexual violence, forced marriages, torture, forced pregnancies and other types of physical and psychological abuse women have endured. It is no doubt that the victims and survivors of these heinous crimes will perhaps never be able to fully recover and live life like it was before the incidents. Yet, many times we seem to forget that men too have faced and continue to face the same type of physical and psychological abuse. Unfortunately, due to social and cultural norms, the abuse men face is mostly overshadowed by the female focused approaches.

All humans, no matter gender, age or any other category, deserve the equal amount of support and attention when faced with physical and psychological abuse. Yet, the fact that many men, especially boys of younger age, have been sexually abused is overlooked. The UNITAD report, although the said report is not fully disclosed and only parts of it has been published to the public, suggests that many Ezidi boys and men have been sexually abused by IS terrorist. Oftentimes, these male victims are not able to fully disclose what they have been through and therefore, they have even worse access (than female victims) to the much needed medical and psychological support.

Considering the fact that we live in a world where most societies are patriarch and certain norms enclose how much vulnerability males are “allowed” to showcase, it becomes even more important that professionals who work with victims also pay special attention to men. This showcases the problematic situation the Ezidis find themselves in as both the female and male population of the Ezidis are in need of huge medical support in order to overcome the trauma IS has put them through.

The Islamists have not only shown that they lack the most basic values and intelligence that separates humans from beast, but they have also succeeded in proving that they are sodomites and have lost all right to be considered human.