A/HRC/34/53/Add.1 recognized and addressed to ensure that, in view of religious and cultural factors, women returning to their families and communities do not face stigmatization. C. Destruction of cultural heritage 59. “Minorities fear that they will be wiped off the map of Iraq,” stated one government representative. Destruction of cultural heritage has taken place on an unprecedented scale under ISIL, which has pursued a relentless programme of destruction of heritage and holy sites, places of worship, museums, libraries and historic archives. It has engaged in widespread looting of antiquities for sale on the international markets. The Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization denounced the destruction as constituting a strategy of cultural cleansing.15 Rebuilding and restoring many damaged or destroyed cultural and religious buildings and sites will be an essential step towards recovery for many ethnic and religious communities. 60. While the destruction of specific cultural sites has been evident, the conflict itself has had a massive, destructive impact on whole cities and towns of deep historical, cultural and social significance to some ethnic or religious groups. One Yazidi community representative stated of Sinjar: “If liberation means total destruction, it means the end of our existence here. People are going to migrate. What is there to come back to?” This was a sentiment echoed by Shabak representatives and others, who conveyed a deep sense of loss of much more than mere buildings and infrastructure, but rather loss of their entire cultural and historical heritage. D. Genocide: the case against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant 61. In its report to the Human Rights Council dated 27 March 2015, following its investigations, OHCHR reported on “reliable information about acts of violence perpetrated against civilians because of their affiliation or perceived affiliation to an ethnic or religious group”. It concluded that “some of those incidents may constitute genocide. Other incidents may amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes. Ethnic and religious groups targeted by ISIL include Yazidis, Christians, Turkmen, Sabea-Mandeans, Kaka’e, Kurds and Shia” (see A/HRC/28/18, para. 16). Among the crimes that may have been committed by ISIL was “genocide by killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm and forced transfer of children, as part of a manifest pattern of similar conduct aimed at the destruction of a particular group. Information gathered strongly suggests that ISIL may have perpetrated these crimes against the Yazidi population” (ibid., para. 76) 62. While further detailed investigation is required, information provided to the Special Rapporteur, including public videos and statements by ISIL itself, strongly supports allegations that the threshold required for a finding of genocide has been surpassed in the case of the Yazidis. The intention to destroy the Yazidi group in whole or in part can be inferred from the deliberate and systematic targeting of members of that community, including for execution or forced conversion. Investigations should continue into whether genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity may also have been committed against other ethnic or religious communities who claim that atrocities were committed against them. 15 16 See http://en.unesco.org/news/destruction-hatra-marks-turning-point-cultural-cleansing-underwayiraq-say-heads-unesco-and-1.