Yazidi girls under IS captivity in Iraq killing themselves to escape rape, torment

Yazidi girls in Iraq, who are being held as prisoners by the Islamic State (IS) terrorists, are committing suicide to save themselves from constant rape and torment at the hands of the members of the terror group.

According to The Independent, hundreds of women and children were captured by the group during their bloody sweep through northern Iraq earlier this year and have since been trafficked as sex slaves, forced into marriage and imprisoned.

The plight of the Yazidi girls was revealed after victims who managed to flee told Amnesty International that many young girls killed themselves after losing all hopes of being rescued.

Another victim, 27-year-old Wafa, reportedly said that she and her sister attempted suicide by strangulating themselves with their scarves but were stopped by the other girls who were held with them.

The sisters decided to take the extreme step after the man holding the girls captive gave them the choice to either marry him and his brother or be sold as slaves.

Donatella Rovera, who spoke to more than 40 former captives in northern Iraq for Amnesty International, said IS militants were using rape as a weapon in attacks "amounting to crimes against humanity".

She said that the physical and psychological toll of the horrifying sexual violence these women have endured is catastrophic.

Rovera added that many of them had been tortured and treated as chattel and even those who have managed to escape remain deeply traumatized, the report said.