The laureates

Description

Farhad Shamo Roto is an Iraqi refugee and human rights advocate from the indigenous Yazidi people. In 2014, he survived the genocide carried out by ISIS that targeted his community. This led Farhad to live in a refugee camp for three years before settling in France, where he was granted refugee status. There, the award recipient founded his organization Voice Of Ezidis, which defends the fundamental rights of his community through education, integration, and advocacy.Farhad holds a master’s degree from HEIP Paris and is currently a doctoral student in political science at CEDS. He was a recipient of the Institut de l’Engagement award and was also named a European Leader by the Obama Foundation. In 2022, Farhad founded ICanHelp.Host, a solidarity platform that has provided free housing to more than 14,000 Ukrainian families fleeing the war.

"Unfortunately, we're working to defend a minority that isn't a priority for anyone."

Farhad Samo Roto interview - 05/12/23

Can you introduce yourself ?

My name is Farhad Shamo Roto, and I am an Iraqi Yazidi refugee living in France. My community was the victim of a genocide carried out by the Islamic State in 2014 and has consistently been the target of discrimination, isolation, and attempts at annihilation. I am studying international relations and diplomacy, and my doctoral dissertation focuses on the Yazidi genocide. I am also an advocate for the rights of survivors of this genocide. My organization is called Voice of Ezidis and fights for the rights of my community through three pillars: integration and sponsorships, awareness and education, and advocacy and campaigns.

What do you expect from the Marianne Initiative in terms of strengthening your project?

In France, we support Yazidi refugees and asylum seekers in their integration process and in accessing their rights, and we bring their needs to the attention of the authorities. Our work also involves raising awareness and advocating on behalf of the Yazidis to secure greater recognition of the genocide and to ensure the community receives the justice and attention it deserves. Furthermore, we are the only French organization actively working on this issue. As an organization run exclusively by refugees, genocide survivors, and volunteers, we hope that French stakeholders will recognize our needs and requests—such as access to an office, which has been an administrative challenge we have been facing for more than three years now.

I was also hoping to establish direct contact with the authorities through the Marianne Initiative program, which has now been achieved. Our organization needs these contacts to support families in two ways: first, we need the involvement of various stakeholders—such as local authorities, French consulates in Iraq, the embassy, and the Ministry of the Interior, including its Asylum Directorate—to support the Yazidis in their integration and family reunification processes in integration and family reunification in France. Furthermore, we are seeking to establish direct contact with the European and international communities so that they can respond to the challenge facing the Yazidi community in Iraq, whose current living conditions remain difficult and uncertain.

Before the Marianne Initiative, it was very difficult to establish contacts and gain support, but I managed to meet with representatives from various ministries and even the President of the Republic.

Which activities have been most helpful to you since the program began?

I would say there are three main activities that have been most helpful to me: meetings with officials, social support, and project monitoring, which help me tremendously in achieving my goals.

What future activities do you think will be most beneficial to you?

I’m looking forward to meeting with the AFD and other organizations that could help us with our project, such as the City of Paris. Unfortunately, we’re working to advocate for a minority group that isn’t considered a priority. My main goal here is to build a network that will help me achieve the association’s objectives down the line.

What are your plans after the program ends?

I want to improve the association’s project and work with all the people I’ve met during the program over the long term to find solutions for my community.

Would you like to add anything else ?

It has been nine years since my community was the victim of genocide, but this tragedy is not a thing of the past, and its consequences are still being felt today. The Yazidis are facing conflict and a lack of security and well-being. Thousands are still missing, and the majority of survivors continue to live in refugee camps under terrible conditions.Hundreds of children have been separated from their parents. Our community is receiving less and less international support, even though the aftermath of the genocide is still being felt today.