Iraqi Nadia Murad broke loose of the so-called Islamic State's (Daesh) sex trafficking system in 2014, and her fight for human rights has not been forgotten since. But, it seems U.S. President Donald Trump is among the rare few who are unaware of Murad's story. That, or he lacks social skills.
Trump's recent encounter with Murad did not go as one would expect. In fact, he kind of had people wondering if he's been living in a cave instead of The White House.
In a meeting with more than two dozen survivors of religious persecution, Trump seemed uninterested at best and ignorant at worst. Several victims made entreaties for aid directly to the president, including Murad. But, his exchange with the Nobel Peace Prize winner was beyond awkward.
Murad, a Yazidi refugee from Iraq who escaped captivity by Daesh, began her testimony by asking the president to help Yazidis return to Sinjar, a town that's home to the ethnic and religious minority. She explained that Daesh is no longer present in the town, but that many are afraid to return for security and political reasons. OK, so far so good, right? Well, this was probably the case up until Murad continued telling Trump her story including the fact that her mother and six brothers had been killed by Daesh. Just moments after, Trump asked Murad where her family members were. She explained - once again - that they were murdered.
"They killed them. They are in the mass grave in Sinjar," Murad said.
As Murad continued her testimony, Trump interrupted her to prove his existence, maybe?
"I know the area very well," he said as Murad was explaining that many families have been affected by the violence.
Just as the testimony was coming to an end - and after Murad thanked the president - Trump asks the million-dollar question of embarrassment.
"And you had the Nobel Prize? That's incredible. They gave it to you for what reason?"
Last year, Murad was awarded the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize alongside Denis Mukwege, a gynecologist who's known for his work with victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The duo was awarded the prize for "their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict," said Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairwoman of the Nobel Committee, in a statement at the time.
"Nadia Murad is the witness who tells of the abuses perpetrated against herself and others. Each of them, in their own way, has helped to give greater visibility to wartime sexual violence."
In 2016, the 25-year-old was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Murad's focus steers towards "advocacy initiatives and raise awareness around the plight of millions of victims of trafficking, especially refugees, women, and girls."
Since her escape, Murad has been advocating for the victims of Daesh and worked to battle human trafficking.
Murad was abducted by Daesh in August 2014. It was part of a Daesh raid on her northern-Iraqi village.
Daesh classified Yazidis as "infidels" and sought to ethnically cleanse them. Men were slaughtered, while women and children were taken as slaves. The extremist group also destroyed their temples.
"They took women as merchandise to be exchanged," the Nobel Peace Prize winner said.
Murad has been calling on the international community to recognize the so-called Islamic State's attacks on the Yazidi community as acts of genocide. The militant group murdered 5,000 Yazidi men the same month Murad was abducted, according to Euro News.
Murad was raped until she fainted. She is a survivor.
Murad was regularly beaten and gang-raped.
"They proceeded to commit their crime until I fainted," she said.
Murad's first failed attempt to escape left her greatly discouraged. She was raped by all the men in the compound, a punishment that falls on every woman who tries to break free. She eventually escaped after three months of repeatedly "dying."
She called on an anti-Daesh Muslim family for help and they heeded her call, giving her a black abaya and an Islamic ID and escorting her to the border. She was then taken to a refugee camp. Shortly after, Murad was chosen for a program that took around 1,000 refugees to Germany. "Being in the hands of Daesh, we felt like we have already died," Murad told BBC.
"Most people die once in their lifetime, but we were dying every hour."
Murad is represented by international lawyer Amal Clooney.
"Justice isn't inevitable. It doesn't just happen. And it doesn't stand a chance if people in power, including those at this table, don't make it a priority," Clooney said earlier this year as she was addressing UN members at the organizations' headquarters in New York.
So, as Clooney put it, justice won't be served unless those in power help. Murad's testimony to Trump was a call for help — and we hope it wasn't one that fell on deaf ears. From the looks of it, Trump doesn't know the severity of the problem, nor does he know the subjects (aka brave survivors) who address him.