Thirty-year-old Laila Talo Khudher Alali, one of the thousands of Yazidis rescued recently after being captured by Islamic State (IS), urged the international community on Monday to help the survivors rebuild their homes.

Ms. Laila, a mother of two who left behind her children in a small camp in Kurdistan, northern Iraq, to travel to Mumbai, was addressing a press conference in the city.

Released from captivity recently by Yazidi Rescue, an operation under the Kurdistan government, Ms. Laila recalled the horror and said, “I was in captivity for two years and eight months, tortured, humiliated, raped and sold eight times as a sex slave. They separated us from our men and children, made us cook and clean for them, and abused us. When they were tired of us, they sold us. If there was no customer, they shared our profile on the internet. The cycle continued.”

Appealing to the international community for help, she said, “We only want to ensure that our family is rescued. They are killing our families irrespective of age, torturing and abusing even children. We keep asking for help, but no one is helping us rebuild our homes that have been destroyed. We live in a camp, which can hardly be called a home.”

Dr. Nashwa Al-Ruwaini, an Arab entrepreneur and television presenter, also spoke in solidarity with the cause. “No words can heal the suffering these people have gone through, but what we can do is work towards rescuing the ones left,” she said.

She said it was time the media stopped focusing on trivial matters instead of the issues of human suffering. “As a member of the media, I assure you that I am here to support and highlight your cause and will do everything possible to help,” she said.

Idris Bashar Silo Taha, who was recently rescued, has helped release 300 Yazidi girls from captivity. “Nine members of my family are still missing. I don’t even know if they are alive or not. We have sent messages to the governments of various nations, including the Iraqi government, but no one is responding. Our villages are destroyed, and our families are diminishing. I urge [the authorities] to become more active for the sake of humanity,” Mr. Taha said.

Hussein Al-Qaidi, the director of Yazidi Rescue, said around 6,500 people were captured in 2014, but mroe than 3,000 of them are yet to be rescued. “We are doing all we can, and will continue if even one person is left. But there is a need for global community to come forward and support the Yazidi cause,” he said.

Mr. Al-Qaidi said that even for the ones who have been rescued, their entire life has turned upside down, and will take them a very long time to lead a normal life.