A/HRC/34/53/Add.1 normal life in the Ninewa plains and Sinjar. One person stated: “80 per cent want to go abroad.” Others voiced their desire for the community to return to their homes, while noting that a massive rebuilding effort was required. They stressed the importance of political participation and the need to ensure that Yazidis were represented and had guaranteed seats in the Iraqi Parliament and the Kurdistan Regional Government to ensure that they had a say in national policy and in decisions that affected them. Others called for self-rule, the establishment of a Sinjar governorate and an international protection force. Zoroastrians 47. Zoroastrian representatives noted that they had coexisted peacefully with other ethnic and religious communities in the Kurdistan region of Iraq throughout their history. They highlighted their view that smaller ethnic and religious communities should be explicitly referenced and protected in the Constitution and the laws on the rights of minorities. They welcomed the fact that they had one political representative in the Kurdistan Regional Government. They described a smear campaign against their religion and stated that they had to practise their faith in secret. They noted that Zoroastrian archaeological sites had been destroyed. Other ethnic groups 48. The Special Rapporteur learned about other ethnic or religious communities whose situation and issues are largely underreported owing to their numbers, their dispersal within the country and their lack of representation within civil society and human rights advocacy groups. They include the Badawiyin, including the Bidoon, Black Iraqis and Roma. She was disturbed by the lack of information about their circumstances. According to Minority Rights Group International,9 Black Iraqis, who, community leaders suggest, may number from 1.5 to 2 million people (a figure disputed by the Government) located mainly in southern Iraq, frequently face systematic discrimination and marginalization in all aspects of life and are continually referred to as “slaves”. Communities often referred to as “Roma” or as “Kawliyah”10 are thought by some to number up to 200,000, living mostly in southern Iraq. They also reportedly face widespread discrimination and ostracism and suffer extreme poverty. The Special Rapporteur urges that greater attention be paid to the situations of these and other small communities, who may be particularly vulnerable, and that greater efforts be made to consult them and address their issues on an equal basis with other groups. The Government emphasized that there is no discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity or colour against members of such groups, who are equal in rights, opportunities and freedoms as citizens of Iraq. A. Impact of internal displacement 49. At the time of the visit, some 3.3 million people were estimated to be internally displaced across Iraq. 11 Ethnic and religious communities have been disproportionately affected by internal displacement. Many vulnerable populations have sought refuge in the relative safety of the Kurdistan region and the border areas while others have travelled to the southern provinces or to Baghdad. Despite finding relative safety, many months after they fled, the situation for most internally displaced persons remains one of dependency on humanitarian aid, with only basic shelter and service provision. While some find temporary 9 10 11 From Crisis to Catastrophe. While the connection to European Roma is not certain, the term “Kawliyah” has pejorative connotations in Iraq. International Organization for Migration, Displacement Tracking Matrix 46, May 2016. 13