Survivors of ISIS captivity and violence face many barriers to their reintegration and recovery. SEED works to strengthen protections and services and advocates for survivors’ rights. Reintegration of Survivors of ISIS Over 6,000 Yezidi women and children were taken by ISIS in 2014. To date, 3,530 individuals have survived [...]
One Year Anniversary of the STEPS Center, Shelter for Trafficking Survivors For people who have experienced trafficking, safe shelter is often the first step towards recovery and stabilization. Until last year, there were no shelters specifically for survivors of trafficking in Iraq or Kurdistan. After the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) passed the 'Anti-Human Trafficking [...]
Ninety two young artists entered SEED Foundation’s first ‘Art of Equality’ competition to mark the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and support the promotion of gender equality and positive portrayal of women and girls in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The 13 national and international judges including diplomats, governmental and non-governmental [...]
Like in the rest of Iraq, gender inequality and gender-based violence (GBV) are pervasive in the Kurdistan Region (KRI). There are efforts by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to face the problem of GBV, including a strong law addressing domestic violence and a law enforcement department called the Department of Combating Violence Against Women and [...]
Reporting on gender-based violence, especially during crises such as #COVID-19, is a difficult and sensitive task. When ethical reporting standards are not followed, it can place the lives of survivors at risk. @UNFPAIraq’s guidelines provide journalists with key steps to follow when communicating these difficult stories. SEED has worked with UNFPA to make these [...]
As SEED’s community coordinators and mobilizers logged on one by one to the video call and greeted each other, there was both excitement and curiosity for the first remote psychosocial support (PSS) training for staff since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). This was the start of a two-day training in [...]
To promote improved services to some of the most vulnerable and violence-affected people in the world, SEED Foundation worked with a broad range of stakeholders to develop a Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Standard of Care Model, tailor made for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Delivering high quality services to meet the [...]
It has been well documented that COVID-19 measures of social isolation and movement restrictions can impact and exacerbate pre-existing symptoms, especially for those with mental health needs or at risk of gender based violence (GBV). Preventative health measures limit access to in-person support and coping activities that our clients often rely on to deal with [...]
The subject of mental health, stress, and wellbeing are often regarded as taboo in Kurdish culture. With the COVID-19 restriction measures, periods of lockdown that Kurdistan has endured since March, and increased economic hardship, it has become increasingly important to take care of our mental health. In addition to adapting to remote, by phone or [...]
As COVID19 measures came into force in early March 2020, SEED Foundation staff provided much-needed gloves and masks and other supplies to police officers at Erbil’s Directorate of Human Trafficking Trafficking in Persons (TIP) police unit in Erbil, the Kurdistan Region - as the KRG’s key law enforcement unit and only designated body in Iraq [...]