Converting to another religion, even under duress, was long considered an unpardonable sin in the Yazidi religion. But in the wake of the mass abductions, forced conversions and the rape of Yazidi women and girls by militants starting in August 2014, that view has softened.

Religious and social Yazidi leaders have issued new teachings since last August, calling on the community to welcome back the abducted women.

Sitting in her tent in a camp on the outskirts of Dohuk, Leila (a pseudonym used to protect her privacy) spoke with little emotion. Requesting that no men be present, a testament to the deep social stigma the subject matter still holds, she recounted how fighters abducted her from her home in Sinjar, Iraq, in August – and how, while in captivity, she was forced to convert to Islam and marry a fighter and then was raped.