Learners in the Interdisciplinary Studies in Human-Centred Design program at Algonquin College are developing an online resource cataloguing the genocide against the Yazidi people. In partnership with Yazidi Legal Network, the resource will serve as a database on crimes against Yazidis for human-rights lawyers and activists.
Yazidis are Kurmanji-speaking peoples indigenous to Kurdistan. Canada has officially recognized the genocide of the Yazidi people by Daesh, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, over 1,400 Yazidi survivors of Daesh have resettled in Canada as of January 2021.
Student researchers Anne Millar and Benjamin Varghese are working with the College’s Human-Centred Design Lab to design a database prototype for Yazidi Legal Network. The database will assist in identifying crimes and categorizing them as war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide. User groups who will access the database include legal professionals, human rights activists, educators and the public. Continue reading