Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
In a powerful speech, the Duchess of Edinburgh called for greater awareness to conflict-related sexual violence around the world, saying “It doesn’t just stop when the guns fall silent, the devastation continues in the lives of those who have survived.”
The royal paid a visit to the Foreign Office Building on Wednesday to view the traveling photographic exhibition ‘The Women Who Beat ISIS’, a testament to the survivors of the Yazidi Genocide who now travel the world sharing their stories.
Sophie said: “This is singularly the most effective weapon that the world has, and we don’t do enough to deal with it because we don’t do enough to prevent the violence from happening.”
Sophie also took part in a panel discussion on the Yazidi Genocide, joined by representatives from the government, the civil service, and other survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, and the Farida Global Organisation.
Those gathered spoke about the Yazidi Genocide and the effects of conflict-related sexual violence on survivors. Sophie gave the closing speech, telling those gathered that: “I don’t think it was until voices of the Yazidi community came forward that so many people in the world were suddenly made aware of this terrible atrocity.”
She continued: “But actually the Yazidi voice became very powerful, and I pay tribute to all of those in the community for being brave enough to step forward, because it really was a moment when the world took an intake of breath and realised just how devastating this had been, the atrocities that Daesh had carried out on the Yazidis and other minority communities.”
‘The Women Who Beat ISIS’ is a traveling exhibit that showcases the stories of survivors of the Yazidi Genocide while placing them in the context of what occurred and how their bravery and strength have empowered them in the years since.
Of the exhibit, Sophie said: “We can actually change this. It’s not up to the women. It’s not up to the men. It’s up to all of us.”