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[This talk contains mature content.]
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When I was 14,
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my parents intended to marry me off
to a man of their choosing.
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I refused.
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That choice to defy my family
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shaped everything in my life
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and set me on the path
to become who I am today.
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But it was very painful at times,
and continues to be so.
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My parents were raised in traditional,
uneducated Moroccan families
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where a girl's main value
is measured by her virginity.
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They emigrated to Belgium,
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and I was born, raised and educated there.
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I did not accept their view of the world.
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When I said no to them,
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I paid for it dearly in terms of
physical and emotional abuse,
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but eventually I escaped from their home
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and became a federal police detective
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who could help protect
the rights of others.
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My specialty was investigating
cases in counterterrorism,
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child abduction and homicide.
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I loved that work,
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and it was extremely fulfilling.
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With my Muslim background,
Arabic language skills,
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and an interest
in working internationally,
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I decided to seek new challenges.
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After decades of being a police officer,
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I was recruited to become an investigator
of sexual and gender-based violence
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as a member of the Justice Rapid Response
and UN Women roster.
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Justice Rapid Response is an organization
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for criminal investigations
of mass atrocities.
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They run on both public
and private funding
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and provide evidence and reports
to more than 100 participating countries.
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Many countries in conflict
are often unable to provide a just process
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to those who have been
victims of mass violence.
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To respond to that,
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Justice Rapid Response was created
in partnership with UN Women.
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Together,
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Justice Rapid Response and UN Women
recruited, trained and certified
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more than 250 professionals
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with a specific expertise
in sexual and gender-based violence,
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like me.
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Our investigations are carried out
under international law
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and our findings eventually
become evidence
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to prosecute war criminals.
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This mechanism provides hope to victims
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that justice and accountability
may someday be found
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in the wake of war and conflict.
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Let me tell you about the most
challenging work I have ever done.
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This was in Iraq.
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Since the rise of the Islamic State
of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS,
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this group has systematically
attacked and tortured
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many religious minorities and ethnicities,
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such as the Christians,
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the Shi'a Turkmen, Shi'a Muslims,
Shi'a Shabaks, and the Yazidis.
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The persecution of the Yazidis
has been especially horrific.
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On the 3rd and 15th of August 2014,
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ISIS attacked approximately
20 villages and towns
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in Sinjar, Iraq.
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They executed all the males
over the age of 14,
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including the elderly and disabled.
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They divided up the women and girls,
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raped them,
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and sold them into sexual
and domestic slavery.
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One month later,
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a UN Human Rights Council resolution
led to the fact-finding mission on Iraq
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to investigate and document
alleged violations and abuses
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committed by ISIS and associated groups.
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I was sent to investigate the atrocities
committed against the Yazidis,
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with a focus on sexual
and gender-based crimes.
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The Yazidis are a Kurdish-speaking
ethno-religious community
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based in northern Iraq.
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Their belief system incorporates
aspects of Judaism, Christianity,
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Islam, and Zoroastrianism.
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For hundreds of years,
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Muslims and Christians
who do not understand their beliefs
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have condemned the Yazidis
as devil-worshippers.
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ISIS thought of them in this way
and vowed to destroy them.
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OK, let's do an experimental thought here.
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I want you to think about
your worst sexual experience
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and recall it in detail.
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Now turn to the person to your right
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and describe that experience.
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(Laughter)
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I know it's difficult, eh?
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(Laughter)
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But of course I wouldn't
expect you to do that.
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You would all be uncomfortable
and embarrassed.
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And so imagine an 11-year old girl
in the Middle East
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who was not educated about sexuality,
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who was taken from her comfort zone,
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her family,
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who witnessed the execution
of her father and brothers,
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having to describe in detail
the rape that she faced in a culture
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where talking about sexuality is taboo.
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Her only way of recovering her honor
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is to hide the crime,
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believe she was married against her will,
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or deny the events out of shame
and fear of being rejected.