(Photo courtesy Open Doors USA)
Middle East (MNN) — Women and girls kidnapped by ISIS are living a nightmare. Girls as young as 9 have been brutally tortured and raped, and they suffer both physically and mentally.
Open Doors USA is sharing God’s Word, encouraging these ISIS victims, and praying for the release of those who are still in captivity.
According to RT News, the use of sexual violence is a way to punish and demoralize local populations, making it easier for ISIS to get information and displace towns and villages.
In other words, these women are being treated like animals for further destruction in the Middle East.
“Girls are literally being stripped naked and examined in slave bazaars,” said UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Bangura. For several weeks, Bangura interviewed released or escaped ISIS rape victims.
“[They are] categorized and shipped naked off to Dohuk or Mosul or other locations to be distributed among ISIS leadership and fighters.”
Many women aren’t sold once to militants, but multiple times. Each time they must undergo a painful “virginity restoration” surgery.
Bangura reported one woman was married off and had the surgery 20 times.
Even more sickening, a 9-year-old child was raped by ten men: now she is pregnant.
“The girl is so young she could die if she delivers a baby,” said Canada-based aid worker, Yousif Daoud. He added that she is mentally unstable and physically traumatized.
Many of these women released by ISIS have come back to their towns and villages pregnant. “Sending back those girls and women is a way of shaming the whole community,” said Daoud.
According to the Daily Mail, women are ashamed and trying to hide the proof of their rape. They’re going as far as illegal abortions and “virginity restoration” surgeries.
No matter the amount of surgeries, these women and girls are still scarred. They have been psychologically damaged.
Rudaw reported 18 Yazidi women who escaped are being flown to Germany for intense psychological treatment. They’re the first of 1,000 to be treated.
Only God can completely heal them.
Open Doors reported the story of one woman who was continually raped for months and finally dumped in a city outside of an ISIS camp. She was taken care of at a monastery, but totally confused; she couldn’t remember who she was, would only wear dirty clothes, and refused to eat anything.
Open Doors is providing medical attention, trauma counseling, and other vital resources for her and others like her.
Join Open Doors in prayer for this woman, as well as the thousands of women and children hurt and scarred by ISIS.
Pray For:
• Physical and mental healing.
• The women and children who are pregnant.
• Victims to look to God and find Him to be the ultimate healer.
“Treated like animals” ? Really? I know this is a common saying, but you need to think about making such a disgusting statement. In no way would it be acceptable to treat an animal like this, and animals do not treat one another this way either. The Bible certainly condemns such behavior, and a person who could do these things to an animal is totally depraved and only one small step away from doing it to a human next anyway.
Was the use of a well understood idiomatic phrase all that stood out to you as you read this article? Did your heart not “break” for these precious sisters and daughters who are being so flagrantly abused and tortured Bymen who probably treat their animals better than they do these girls?
My heart weeps.
Might I suggest a more accurate headline? “ISIS’s Demonic Behavior”. For their actions certainly reflect the evil that spews from the pit of Hell.
The word nightmare describes their lives the best. A nightmare from which they never wake up! I hope all who have read this pray fervently, as if suffering with them. This is too horrible for words. May the Lord deliver them and give them comfort, peace, healing and rescue to these precious women and girls!! Pray on!
Sharon, I am not only going to
pray for these women
and young girls, but
for you as well. That God would
soften your heart
and open your eyes to the
torment these women/children
are having to endure. You should be ashamed of
your concern for animals over
human lives.
Nightmare doesn’t even begin to describe a life like that. Just imagine if you were treated like this:having to do anything they told you to, no matter what it was, how painful and shameful and angering it would all be. When they didn’t listen to what they were told, due to it being wrong and going completely against their human nature and get beat for not doing it or tortured in several impossibly describable ways. Trying and trying to escape but get caught each time and severely punished. Tortured beyond comprehension. Raped again and again and again, quite possibly on a weekly or maybe even daily basis. Being starved for disobeying, not given food or water most likely until their captors deemed it fit or until they listened. Hell, I bet some of them even were forced to wear collars, some shock collars I bet. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were put in cages or cells with no beds. All this they’d go through until they automatically do anything they were told. Even after escape and rescue they’d probably fear being found and captured again haunted for the rest of their lives