Country: Iraq

Group: Kaka’i

Date Finalized: 10/23/2022

Team: Anthony Un (lead), Kelsey Dwyer, Madison Schultz, Jacob Kebe, Hajer Rahee

Content Warning: Sexual Assault

Approximate Time Period: Late 2000s – present

The Kaka’i, also known as the Ahl-e Haqq or Yarsan, are a religious minority in Iraq, mainly settled near Kirkuk, Daquq, and Hamdaniya. Their religion dates back to the 14th century and contains elements of Zoroastrianism and Shi’a Islam (Minority Rights Group 2017). Due to historical persecution, Kaka’i are reserved  about their religious beliefs. The Kaka’i number 110,000 to 200,000, around .25-.5% of the population of Iraq.

            There is no direct evidence of sexual assault against Kaka’i in Iraq. However, existing sources may not cover all cases. ISIS/ISIL  are allegedly  subjecting women in Iraq to rape and sexual enslavement, often targeting the Yazidi religious minority group specifically (UNAMI 2017). The UN High Commissioner for Refugees notes that Islamic extremists have committed  rape against members of non-Muslim religious minorities, specifically Christians, Sabaen-Mandaeans, Yazidis, Baha’i, Kaka’i, and Jews (UNHCR 2007).

Many Kaka’i fled Iraqi cities to Kurdish controlled regions of Iraq to escape ISIS and other extremist groups. Some even joined Peshmerga units to fight ISIS (Ghafuri 2020). Although the Iraqi government has declared ISIS defeated in Iraq, continued violence from insurgency groups plagues the country. This is exacerbated by the disbanding of military groups designated to protect Kaka’i villages after the Iraqi government declared ISIS defeated (BBC 2019).

This data quality is a 1/3 as sources are not specific instances of sexual assault.

Sources

  1. BBC. (Host). (May 17, 2019). Iraq’s religious minorities: Exodus and extinction. In Heart and Soul. BBC Sounds. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3csz4bh
  2. Ghafuri, Lawk. (June 6, 2020). ISIS claims responsibility for deadly attack in Khanaqin. Rudaw. Retrieved from https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/15062020
  3. Minority Rights Group. (November 2017). Kaka’i. World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples. Retrieved from https://minorityrights.org/minorities/kakai/
  4. United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq. (Aug. 22, 2017). Promotion and Protection of Rights of Victims of Sexual Violence Captured by ISIL/or in Areas Controlled by ISIL in Iraq. United Nations Human Rights. Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Countries/IQ/UNAMIReport22Aug2017_EN.pdf
  5. UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). (August 2007). UNHCR’s Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Iraqi Asylum-seekers. RefWorld. Retrieved from https://www.refworld.org/docid/46deb05557.html