There are now a total of 650 Yazidis in Canada. The North American country plans to welcome a total of 1,200 Yazidis and settle them by the end of 2017. The House of Commons had taken this decision in 2016 after noticing they were victims of genocide in Iraq. Yazidis is a small community from the war-torn Iraq and are targeted by militants are in the country. ISIS or ISIL or Daesh started a war in 2017 in Iraq to eradicate Yazidis from Iraq. In the past three years, the Yazidis have suffered a lot.
First, they were displaced because of the constant conflicts between Daesh, Iraqi government, and Kurdish militia. Then, Yazidi women and children were sold into slavery. The men were either killed or forced to convert. Dawn Edlund, from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, said that these people are enslaved, tortured, are victims of sexual violence, and gone through the death of loved ones.
Once the people are welcomed into Canada, they will also need psychological help and Canada will provide it to them. After the come into the country, they will be settled in four cities – Winnipeg, Calgary, Toronto and London.
Yazidis: Self-Identity is a Problem
Canada will definitely face the issue of self-identity. There is no religion or caste to track if the people are for sure Yazidis. Identification is surely going to be a major issue unless these people identify themselves genuinely. A few Yazidis feel that the United Nations discriminates them because the agency’s staff in Iraq re muslims. These muslims don’t want to help Yazidis and delay their form processing.
Only a few Yazidis get to stay in UN refugee camps. Most of them are displaced across the country and require a government sanction to resettle. Many Yazidis are also displacing to Europe illegally. They are in need. We need nations to join hands with Canada and rescue them.