Re-traumatised Yazidis call for support as more 'ISIS brides' arrive in Australia
Amera Ali returned to the Shingal region of Iraq, where thousands of Yazidis were killed or enslaved during the 2014 Yazidi genocide. (Supplied: Amera Ali)
In short:
Members of the Yazidi community say they feel re-traumatised by the arrival of several ISIS-linked women in Australia.
Calls to specialist refugee mental health services have increased and Australian Federal Police officers have conducted an information session for members of the Yazidi diaspora in Wagga Wagga.
What's next?
Community leaders are calling on the government to keep them informed of the women's movements.
Warning: Details of sexual assault in this story may distress some readers.
Amera Ali was 10 years old when ISIS members stormed her village and home in northern Iraq, then sold her into sexual slavery.
Now living in Armidale, in north-west NSW, the Yazidi-Australian said seeing her older brother taken away with a gun to his head was an image she would never forget.
It was the last time she saw him.
"The hardest thing for me is when ISIS separated me from my mother," the now 23-year-old said.
"I was still a young girl. I remember they were touching me, examining me, trying to see how quickly I would grow up.
"I tried to be brave. I don't know how I managed, but I tried not to breathe, to leave my body … to send my soul to somewhere else."
Amera Ali moved to Australia after escaping sexual slavery in Syria. (Supplied: Amera Ali)
Targeted by the terrorist group for their religion and ancient, pre-Islamic beliefs, about 7,000 Yazidi women and girls were captured and enslaved by ISIS during the 2014 genocide in Iraq's Shingal region.
Ms Ali said for many survivors and others in Australia's Yazidi communities, the recent return of "ISIS brides" from Syria had been deeply traumatic.
Amera Ali was 10 when ISIS stormed her village in northern Iraq. (Supplied: Amera Ali)
"I never imagined I would live in a country with ISIS brides," she said.
"I'm really scared about this news."
Ms Ali spent nine months in captivity before escaping with her mother and sister to Iraqi Kurdistan.
They then came to Australia as refugees.
She said for Yazidi families with missing loved ones or relatives still being persecuted and seeking Australian asylum overseas, the ISIS-linked women's return was a particularly bitter blow.
AFP-led meetings
There are about 4,000 Yazidis in Australia, with large communities in Armidale, Coffs Harbour and Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, Toowoomba in south-east Queensland, and Mount Gambier in South Australia.
This week the Australian Federal Police (AFP) held a community meeting in Wagga Wagga, home to around 2,000 Yazidis.
The AFP hosted an information session for the Yazidi community in Wagga Wagga. (ABC Riverina: Jostina Basta)
Shelan Khodedah, who escaped during the 2014 genocide, was among more than 60 who attended.
"With this news, I think, 'Am I going to be as safe as I was before?'" she said.
Shelan Khodedah says Wagga Wagga's Yazidi community is still feeling on edge. (ABC Riverina: Jostina Basta)
Ms Khodedah said Monday's meeting only raised more questions.
"I feel they haven't properly answered our questions … [the community] feels unsupported," she said.
Alison Reid, from STARTTS, a refugee support service for people who have experienced torture and trauma, said there had been a spike in calls.
Alison Reid says there's been an increase in demand from the Yazidi community since the arrival of the ISIS-linked cohort. (ABC Riverina: Jostina Basta)
"I think it's affected the hard-won feelings of security that people have since they've settled in Australia," Ms Reid said.
"A sense of fear and concern in the community runs deep."
Calls for action
Following the meeting in Wagga Wagga, Ms Khodedah called for the AFP to monitor and report the women's movements, or limit their travel to regions with large Yazidi populations.
In a statement, an AFP spokesperson said community liaison teams "continue to maintain engagement with various communities to support social cohesion efforts".
A spokesperson for the Australian government said in a statement that there were "robust domestic measures" in place to maintain public safety and that more than $106 million had been committed to fund counter-terrorism measures.
"The cornerstone of the strategy is the National Support and Intervention Program, which seeks to disengage individuals vulnerable to violent extremism and radicalisation," they said.
The statement acknowledged the "horrific experiences" faced by the Yazidi community and said support was available through the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) program.
Six ISIS-linked women and children arrived in Melbourne and Sydney this week, one of whom was charged with terrorism offences on Thursday.
A spokesperson from the NSW and Victoria Joint Counter Terrorism Team said the belongings of the women had been searched and digital devices copied, as investigations continued.
A right to return
Political sociologist and extremism expert Josh Roose from Deakin University said while the women had a right to return to Australia, security concerns should not be underestimated.
Josh Roose says women within Islamic State were often in charge of choosing Yazidi slaves for their households and husbands. (ABC News: Kyle Harley)
"These are people who have been surrounded by extremist ideology for the best part of a decade," Dr Roose said.
Dr Roose said Yazidi communities held "deep and legitimate concerns" and the Australian government should work with community leaders as returning families reintegrated into Australian society.
"The chances of running into them on the street might be small, but it's not impossible,"he said.
"The ultimate concern should be for the victims … but on the other hand, the [ISIS women's] children through no fault of their own have been born into this circumstance and [coming to Australia will give] them the best possible life chance as well."