Dr Denis Mukwege has been recognised for treating thousands of women in DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) once known as the rape capital of the world. In a bare hospital with little or no anaesthetic, Dr Denis performed surgery on countless women who were preys to militias, bandits, government soldiers and foreign armies. He campaigned relentlessly to bring attention to their plight, even after he was nearly assassinated and had to go on exile.
Nadia Murad, a bold, dignified voice for women who survived sexual violence was recognised for her dauntless refusal to accept the social codes that require women to remain silent and ashamed after they have been abused. After being captured and raped by ISIS from the Yazidi minority in northern Iraq in 2014, Murad insisted to reporters that she wanted to be identified and photographed. Her advocacy helped to persuade the United States to recognise the genocide of her people at the hands of the terrorist group.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said in a statement that the award recognises “their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.”
Source: NY Times
Photo credit: Yves Herman/Reuter; Patrick Seeger/EPA, via Shutterstock
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