“They are institutionalizing sexual violence,” said Zainab Hawa Bangura, U.N. Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict.
The militant group ISIS is committing a "staggering array of atrocities" against women as it captures more territory in Iraq and Syria, according to a senior U.N. official tasked with investigating sexual violence in conflict.
Iraqi residents from the city of Ramadi, who fled their homes as ISIS militants tightened their siege on the city.
Ahmad Al-rubaye / AFP / Getty Images
The U.N's Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict this week spoke with Middle East Eye about her recent tour of refugee camps across the region, where she interviewed officials, social workers, and sexual violence survivors.
"It was painful for me," the experienced sexual violence investigator said. "I never saw anything like this. I cannot understand such inhumanity. I was sick, I couldn't understand"
Zainab Hawa Bangura.
Samir Bol / AFP / Getty Images
"After attacking a village, [ISIS] splits women from men and executes boys and men aged 14 and over," Bangura told Middle East Eye.
"The women and mothers are separated; girls are stripped naked, tested for virginity and examined for breast size and prettiness. The youngest, and those considered the prettiest virgins fetch higher prices and are sent to Raqqa, the [ISIS] stronghold," she said.
SOURCE: BuzzFeed
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