IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 447 

Calling upon the President to use the United States’ voice and vote in 

the United Nations Security Council to condemn the ongoing sexual 

violence against women and children from Yezidi, Christian, Shabak, 

and other religious communities by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant 

militants as crimes against humanity, to prosecute all perpetrators and 

those complicit in these crimes, and to support other United Nations 

member states prosecuting these perpetrators and those complicit. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015 

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona (for himself, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, 

Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Ms. ESHOO, and Mr. FORTENBERRY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the 

Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Calling upon the President to use the United States’ voice 

and vote in the United Nations Security Council to condemn the ongoing sexual violence against women and 

children from Yezidi, Christian, Shabak, and other religious communities by Islamic State of Iraq and the 

Levant militants as crimes against humanity, to prosecute all perpetrators and those complicit in these crimes, 

and to support other United Nations member states 

prosecuting these perpetrators and those complicit. 


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•HRES 447 IH 

Whereas the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has 

publicly and systematically targeted communities on the 

basis of their religious identities, including Yezidis, Christians, Shi’a Muslims, Shabaks, Turkmens, and Kaka’i, in 

a campaign of violence that includes: summary executions, beheadings, torture, arbitrary detainment, forced 

displacement, rape and sexual violence, and enslavement; 

Whereas enslavement and sexual violence against women is a 

widespread practice among ISIL militants, who have, according to the Yezidi Affairs Directory, captured and 

enslaved as many as 5,838 Yezidis, including as many as 

3,192 women, since August 2014; 

Whereas ISIL has established a formal slave trade in which 

women and girls as young as 5 years old are systematically abducted, transported, categorized according to 

physical traits and perceived value, and traded among 

ISIL militants or sold for as little as 50 cents; 

Whereas the Research and Fatwa Department of ISIL has 

issued guidelines and directions for the enslavement of 

women and children (from Yezidi, Christian, and other 

religious minority communities), and have justified their 

actions on the basis of religious teachings; 

Whereas the New York Times reported that ‘‘the Islamic 

State has developed a detailed bureaucracy of sex slavery, 

including sales contracts notarized by the ISIS-run Islamic courts’’; 

Whereas according to various reports, including statements 

provided in congressional briefings by Khidher Domle, a 

Yezidi activist and Director of the Media Department at 

the University of Dohuk, the enslavement and sexual violence used against Yezidi women and children by ISIL 


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•HRES 447 IH 

militants in their attack on Mount Sinjar was premeditated; 

Whereas ISIL’s enslavement of religious minorities constitutes human trafficking under the Protocol to Prevent, 

Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially 

Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations 

Convention against Transnational Organized Crime; 

Whereas in August 2015, the United Nations Security Council was briefed by Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab 

Bangura on her visit to the Middle East and Council 

President U. Joy Ogwu (Nigeria) said in a press statement, ‘‘Council members recalled that rape and other 

forms of sexual violence in armed conflict are war crimes 

and constitute grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions’’ and they ‘‘urged the international community to 

remain united in the goal of holding those responsible for 

such crimes accountable’’; 

Whereas, on March 13, 2015, the ‘‘Report of the Office of 

the United Nations High Commissioner for Human 

Rights on the human rights situation in Iraq in the light 

of abuses committed by the so-called Islamic State in 

Iraq and the Levant and associated groups’’ summarized 

evidence of ‘‘acts of violence perpetrated against civilians 

because of their affiliation or perceived affiliation to an 

ethnic or religious group . . . Ethnic and religious 

groups targeted by ISIL include Yezidis, Christians, 

Turkmen, Sabea-Mandeans, Kaka’e, Kurds and Shi’a 

. . . The following crimes may have been committed . . . 

Crimes against humanity such as murder, enslavement, 

deportation or forcible transfer of population, imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty, torVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:33 Sep 29, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR447.IH HR447

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•HRES 447 IH 

ture, rape, sexual slavery, sexual violence and persecution, committed as part of widespread and systematic attacks directed against civilian populations pursuant to, or 

in furtherance of an organisational policy to commit such 

attacks’’; 

Whereas ISIL has initiated the mass killing of men and boys, 

the sexual violence and enslavement of women and children, the desecration of historic religious sites, and the 

forced displacement of Yezidi, Christian, Shabak, and 

other religious communities; 

Whereas the reach of ISIL extends beyond Iraq and Syria 

into the rest of the world and is a threat to international 

peace, as demonstrated by ISIL affiliated attacks and recruitment of foreign fighters from the United States, Europe, Central Asia, and Africa; 

Whereas according to reports it is possible that one of the 

ISIL militants involved in the sexual slavery of Yezidi 

women and children is a United States citizen; 

Whereas the United States has an obligation to investigate 

and prosecute United States citizens who are perpetrators of or complicit in such crimes; 

Whereas the United States may, as a member of the United 

Nations Security Council, call for action under Chapter 

VII of the Charter of the United Nations which states, 

‘‘The Security Council shall determine the existence of 

any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of 

aggression and shall make recommendations, or decide 

what measures shall be taken in accordance with Articles 

41 and 42, to maintain or restore international peace and 

security’’; and 


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•HRES 447 IH 

Whereas the United Nations Security Council may take actions under a Chapter VII resolution including but not 

limited to, calling for prosecution of those responsible and 

anyone complicit with these crimes, establishing financial 

and travel sanctions to cut off resources to, and restrict 

the [movement] of, those perpetrating or complicit in 

these crimes, providing security for eyewitnesses, and 

calling for arrest warrants of anyone involved: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) condemns the ongoing sexual violence 

3 against women and children from Yezidi, Christian, 

4 Shabak, and other religious communities as crimes 

5 against humanity; 

6 (2) calls on the Attorney General to commence 

7 the investigation and prosecution of any United 

8 States citizens alleged to be perpetrators of or 

9 complicit in these crimes and to report back to the 

10 United States Congress what steps are being taken 

11 to investigate and prosecute those involved; 

12 (3) calls on the President to direct the United 

13 States Permanent Representative to the United Na14 tions to use the voice and vote of the United States 

15 to present and support a draft resolution in the 

16 United Nations Security Council condemning the ac17 tions of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) 

18 militants in Iraq and Syria as crimes against huVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:33 Sep 29, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR447.IH HR447

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•HRES 447 IH 

1 manity and calling for the arrest and prosecution of 

2 individual perpetrators responsible for these crimes; 

3 and 

4 (4) calls on Iraq and other nations to identify 

5 individual perpetrators and individuals complicit in 

6 these crimes and take appropriate measures to ar7 rest and prosecute those individuals. 

Æ 


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