They Who Have Seen Hell: The Forgotten Child Soldiers of the Yazidi Genocide

In August 2014, the Islamic State (ISIS) unleashed a genocidal assault on the Yazidi community of Sinjar in northern Iraq. ISIS massacred Yazidi men and captured thousands of women and children. Global attention has rightly focused on the enslavement of Yazidi women and girls. However, it has failed to adequately address another atrocity: the forcible recruitment of Yazidi boys as child soldiers. This omission demonstrates not just a gap in awareness but rather a failure to confront the full scope of ISIS’s despicable strategy to annihilate the Yazidi people. The systematic militarization of Yazidi boys demands urgent recognition and action. These boys were not merely collateral victims, but rather, ISIS targeted them as a means to perpetuate genocide through forced assimilation and indoctrination. Understanding and addressing this atrocity proves critical not only for the sake of justice but also for preventing future cycles of violence.

Trauma and Psychological Impact

The long-term psychological trauma experienced by Yazidi boys forcibly recruited by ISIS proves not only a humanitarian crisis but also a ticking security and social time bomb. These deep wounds, unhealed and under-addressed, undermine the prospects for reintegration or post-genocide recovery.

Yazidi boys who survived ISIS captivity carry deep physical and psychological scars. Many endured extreme violence, malnutrition, and war injuries during their forced conscription. Amnesty International reports that former captives returned with severe battle injuries, including lost limbs from front-line fighting, as well as chronic health problems. Almost 2,000 Yazidi children who escaped ISIS have been left in an “unprecedented” physical and mental health crisis, often abandoned without adequate support. According to this report, “many suffer from fits of anger, flashbacks, and nightmares.”

Empirical studies confirm extremely high rates of mental distress in this population. In a clinical study of 81 former ISIS child soldiers, mostly Yazidi boys aged 8–14, nearly half were found to meet the criteria for PTSD (48.3%), and similarly high proportions for depression (45.6%) and anxiety disorders (45.8%). Researchers also noted significantly reduced self-esteem in former child soldiers, reflecting the deep psychological harm to their development. Without robust psycho-social support, many will continue to struggle with depression, survivor’s guilt, and suicidal ideation. Some Yazidi boys exhibit behavioral issues like hypervigilance or violence in play and learned behaviors from ISIS training, which alienate them from their peers. Mental health experts warn that untreated trauma not only causes individual suffering but can also fuel future cycles of violence. As Jan Ilhan Kizilhan, a renowned clinical psychologist and trauma expert specializing in war-affected populations, emphasized, “comprehensive psychosocial rehabilitation… should therefore form the basis of resettlement and reintegration” for former child soldiers if they are to heal and reintegrate into society.

Radicalization and Identity Disruption

The systematic radicalization of Yazidi boys became a core element of ISIS’s genocidal project. ISIS forces immediately compelled Yazidi children to renounce their religion under threat of death. One 16-year-old survivor recounted being told: “You are Yazidis and you are infidels. We want to convert you to the true religion so you can go to heaven.” ISIS forced boys as young as seven to pray five times a day, study the Quran, and chant ISIS slogans. In training camps, ISIS gave them Arabic Muslim names, banned them from speaking the Kurdish tongue, and taught them to view Yazidi beliefs as “devil worship.”

This indoctrination aimed to erase the Yazidi identity. Human rights reporters have documented cases of Yazidi boys who, after years in captivity, forgot their native Kurmanji and could only speak Arabic. Thirteen-year-old Mazen kidnapped at age eight, could not communicate with his family upon return and instead repeated what ISIS taught him: “weapons and the Quran, belief and things like that.” Such chilling accounts underscore the extent to which ISIS succeeded in reshaping the minds of these children. These boys became vessels of ISIS ideology—simultaneously victims and instruments of violence.

Some survivors even rejected their families and communities after the rescue. One Yazidi mother explained how her son had come to see ISIS as his family after two years of captivity. Another boy, referred to as “S,” tried to return to ISIS and called his mother and sisters “infidels.” These accounts reflect more than psychological trauma, they demonstrate how ISIS weaponized identity to sever children from their communities. Unless addressed, this identity disruption poses a lasting threat to Yazidi cohesion and post-genocide recovery.

Challenges of Reintegration

The reintegration of these boys is not a matter of simply bringing them home, but a long, difficult, and often alienating journey. Deprived of education, language, and familial bonds, these boys return to communities they can barely recognize. Family members and neighbors may view them with fear, worried they are “ticking time bombs” due to their indoctrination. Reports have documented children imitating ISIS executions and engaging in violent play upon return, terrifying peers and caregivers.

This indoctrination has left many boys in a “gray zone between guilty and forgotten.” They are victims of genocide, but the stigma of association with ISIS often makes them social pariahs. Yazidi religious leaders have offered unconditional acceptance, declaring that all survivors remain Yazidi. Yet in practice, the children often come back as strangers, struggling to speak their family’s language, unfamiliar with cultural customs, and psychologically detached from their pasts. Reintegration thus becomes not only a logistical but a deeply emotional challenge.

Compounding this is the economic vulnerability of survivor families. Many become displaced, impoverished, and lack the resources to support deeply traumatized children. Although the Yazidi Survivors Law, passed in 2021 by the Iraqi Parliament, provides reparations and support services for women and girls who survived ISIS captivity, it fails to meaningfully include boys in its eligibility criteria or programming. As a result, boys, many of whom were abducted, indoctrinated, and used as fighters, remain largely excluded from state-sponsored psychological, educational, and reintegration services. As of 2020, the limited services that did exist for them were often ad hoc, underfunded, and run by NGOs with inconsistent reach. Educational infrastructure is either destroyed or inaccessible, and lingering trauma deters many from attending distant schools. Without systemic support tailored to their needs, these boys risk falling into permanent marginalization—physically freed from ISIS, but socially and emotionally still imprisoned.

Contrasts with the Suffering of Yazidi Girls

The experiences of Yazidi boys intersect with but are distinct from the well-documented suffering of Yazidi girls. ISIS subjected girls to horrific sexual slavery and forced childbirth, causing deep, long-term physical and emotional harm. Cultural taboos around honor and purity added another layer of stigma, especially for those who bore children under ISIS captivity. Many were forced to give up these children due to Yazidi customs that do not recognize children born to non-Yazidi fathers.

By contrast, ISIS turned Yazidi boys into instruments of violence and made them commit or witness atrocities, sometimes under coercion. They face a different kind of stigma, one centered around fear rather than honor. Some families fear their sons may have internalized violent ideologies. The trauma of both groups is profound, but the nature of their suffering and reintegration challenges differ. Recognizing these gendered dimensions is essential to formulating an effective response.

It is important to note, however, that many challenges overlap. Both groups suffer high rates of PTSD, depression, and anxiety; both missed years of schooling; and both need intensive support. The experiences of Yazidi girls and boys under ISIS were equally part of the genocidal intent—to destroy a community by assaulting its future generations, albeit with different instruments of terror.  Any recovery and reintegration effort must account for these gendered differences while addressing the common need for healing and acceptance.

The international community, along with the Iraqi government, must adopt a comprehensive, trauma-informed response that recognizes the unique experience of Yazidi boys as both victims of genocide and former child soldiers so that they can fully integrate into a new life. The following steps are imperative.

Expanding Specialized Mental Health Services: A Foundational Requirement for Recovery

Scaling up specialized mental health services for Yazidi boys formerly held by ISIS is not just important, it is foundational to their recovery and the broader stability of the Yazidi community. Without long-term psychological care, these mental health wounds can fester, undermining reintegration efforts and risking further cycles of violence and alienation.

To break this cycle, international donors and the Iraqi government must invest in culturally sensitive, trauma-informed mental health infrastructure. Mobile therapy units staffed by child trauma experts can reach displaced populations and offer consistent care. These services must go beyond symptom management; they must help rebuild trust, self-esteem, and the social-emotional skills stripped away during captivity. One example is the Jiyan Foundation, which operates mobile mental health teams in northern Iraq, providing Yazidi survivors, including children, with trauma therapy, art therapy, and psycho-social support in accessible community settings. Given the magnitude of the need, partnerships with NGOs already operating in the region can maximize impact.

Deradicalization and Identity Restoration: A Strategic Imperative for Long-Term Stability

Deradicalizing its former boy soldiers must be treated not as an optional rehabilitation effort, but as a strategic imperative for an effective reconstruction effort of the Yazidi community in the aftermath of ISIS’s genocidal wrath inflicted upon them. These boys were not passive victims as ISIS deliberately indoctrinated them to reject their faith, adopt extremist ideologies, and become instruments of future violence. Ignoring the deep psychological reprogramming they endured risks leaving a generation in ideological limbo—alienated from both their Yazidi heritage and broader Iraqi society. Without targeted reintegration, these youth may experience lasting identity confusion, social isolation, and resentment, making them more susceptible to radicalization, criminal activity, or re-recruitment by armed groups in the future. Tailored religious counseling by Yazidi spiritual leaders proves essential to help reaffirm the boys’ identity and restore their spiritual grounding. Community-led rituals, such as cleansing ceremonies and public welcome events, can symbolically and socially reclaim these youth, reaffirming their belonging and publicly acknowledging their victimization.

An educational response plays an equally important role as it would actively dismantle the extremist worldview instilled by ISIS. Curricula must incorporate lessons in critical thinking, moral reasoning, and peaceful coexistence to counteract the black-and-white ideology of violence and martyrdom propagated by ISIS. These efforts must be grounded in a non-punitive approach that recognizes these boys as victims of coercion, not perpetrators by choice. Shame-based models will only deepen alienation; what is needed is an emphasis on positive identity formation. This means creating opportunities for youth to reconnect with their Yazidi heritage through language, history, and spiritual instruction; fostering community involvement through service or mentorship roles; and providing avenues for self-expression through art, music, or storytelling. Positive identity formation also includes helping them envision a future as students, workers, and community members—roles that empower them to belong, contribute, and thrive beyond their trauma. Helping these youth see themselves as more than what ISIS made them to be is essential—not only for their healing but for the long-term stability and resilience of the Yazidi people.

Legal Recognition and Justice: Securing Rights and Restoring Dignity for Survivors

Including boys remains essential for the full implementation and expansion of the Yazidi Survivors Law. As it currently stands, the law recognizes women and girls as victims of ISIS atrocities, thereby excluding boys who were abducted, indoctrinated, and used as child soldiers. 

Implementation would require amending the law’s language to explicitly include male survivors, followed by the creation of administrative mechanisms to register, assess, and compensate them. Financial reparations could be delivered through monthly stipends, educational scholarships, and subsidies for healthcare and housing—each a tangible investment in the boys’ long-term recovery. Psycho-social support services, including counseling and trauma-informed therapy, should be expanded and made accessible across displacement camps and areas of return. 

Additionally, international support is needed to locate missing Yazidi children, reunite families, and issue civil documentation. Legal provisions must allow the re-registration of forcibly converted children as Yazidis, safeguarding their identity and access to services. If left unhealed, this generation of traumatized youth could destabilize an already fragile community. Boys without documentation may be unable to enroll in school, access healthcare, or obtain legal employment, pushing them into informal labor markets, child marriage, or even criminal networks. Those who remain ideologically confused or socially rejected may struggle with aggression, depression, or continued attachment to extremist beliefs, creating a cycle of alienation and instability. This internal fragility—fueled by marginalization and unaddressed trauma—could hinder efforts at communal recovery and peacebuilding. But with the right support, these boys can be transformed from victims of terror into agents of recovery and resilience.

Views expressed are the author’s own and do not represent the views of GSSR, Georgetown University, or any other entity. Image Credit: Diyurna