Nadia Murad – From ISIS Captive to Nobel Peace Prize Winner

Nadia Murad – From ISIS Captive to Nobel Peace Prize Winner

Who Is Nadia Murad?

Nadia Murad is a Yazidi human rights activist from Iraq who survived the genocide and sexual slavery committed by ISIS. After escaping captivity, she became a global advocate for survivors of sexual violence and war crimes.

Her courage led her to become:

• A Nobel Peace Prize laureate (2018), the first Iraqi woman to receive this honor.
• A UN Goodwill Ambassador, fighting for justice for sexual violence survivors.
• The author of The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State.

Her story is one of unimaginable suffering, resilience, and a relentless pursuit of justice.

The Yazidi Genocide – A Brutal Attack by ISIS

Nadia Murad was born in 1993 in Kocho, a small Yazidi village in Iraq. The Yazidis, a religious minority, were targeted by ISIS (Daesh) in 2014, who considered them "infidels."

• On August 3, 2014, ISIS launched an attack on Sinjar, where thousands of Yazidis lived.
• Men, including Nadia’s six brothers and her mother, were executed.
• Women and girls were kidnapped, forced into sexual slavery and human trafficking.
• Over 5,000 Yazidis were murdered, and over 6,500 Yazidi women and children were enslaved.

Nadia, only 21 years old, was among those taken to Mosul and sold as a sex slave.

Surviving ISIS Captivity

During her months in ISIS captivity, Nadia was subjected to:

• Repeated rape and torture.
• Forced religious conversion attempts.
• Being sold and re-sold as property among ISIS fighters.

She later recalled, “I was not allowed to eat, sleep, or even breathe freely. I was their slave.”

One day, after enduring extreme violence, she managed to escape. A Muslim family in Mosul helped her flee to safety, risking their own lives.

With the help of humanitarian organizations, she reached a refugee camp in Duhok, Iraq, and later resettled in Germany.

Becoming a Global Advocate for Yazidis and Survivors of War Crimes

Instead of staying silent, Nadia chose to speak out, becoming the voice of thousands of Yazidi women still in captivity.

• In 2015, she told her story to the United Nations, exposing ISIS’s war crimes.
• In 2016, she was appointed UN Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking.
• In 2018, she won the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Dr. Denis Mukwege for their work against sexual violence in war.
• She founded Nadia’s Initiative, which rebuilds communities affected by genocide and sexual violence.

She also played a major role in:

• Bringing ISIS members to trial for war crimes.
• Demanding justice for Yazidi women and refugees.
• Advocating for the recognition of the Yazidi genocide worldwide.

Nadia Murad Today – Fighting for Justice

Nadia Murad continues to fight for:

✅ Justice for ISIS war crimes.

✅ Protection of women and girls from sexual violence in conflict zones.

✅ Rebuilding Sinjar and other Yazidi communities.

Her memoir, The Last Girl, is a must-read, detailing her harrowing journey and fight for justice.

Why Her Story Matters

Nadia Murad is more than a survivor—she is a symbol of resistance, hope, and justice. Despite enduring unimaginable horror, she turned her pain into a global movement for change.