In November 2023, the General Director and Head of Programs of the Youth Bridge Organization spearheaded an advocacy campaign in collaboration with its Italian partner UPP (Un Ponte Per) with the Italian Foreign Affairs Committee and the Italian Standing Committee of Human Rights in the World, represented by Laura Boldrini, President of the World Commission on Human Rights. The objective was to revive awareness about the Yezidi cause in Italy and exert pressure on the Italian parliament to officially recognize the events that occurred to the Yezidis under ISIS control in 2014 as genocide.
During a hearing session at 2:15 PM on November 8, 2023, in the Foreign Affairs Committee Room, a representative from the Youth Bridge Organization actively participated. The session provided an opportunity for the representative to address members of the Foreign Affairs and Human Rights committees. Additionally, the Permanent Committee on Human Rights Worldwide, established within the same Commission, conducted a hearing focusing on Italy’s international commitment to promoting and protecting human rights and combating discrimination against the Yezidi minority group.
The hearing session, comprehensive details pertaining to the Yezidi cause were presented to committee members. This included a thorough examination of the heinous crimes committed by ISIS against the Yezidis in 2014, encompassing the enslavement of women and children, massive killing of men, destruction of shrines, and the decimation of Sinjar’s infrastructure—the homeland of the Yezidis in Iraq. The discussion also highlighted the enduring displacement of thousands of Yezidis, even after nine years since the genocide, as well as their significant emigration from Iraq.
