A YAZIDI woman who was repeatedly raped while held captive by Daesh in northern Iraq and a Congolese gynaecologist who has devoted his life to helping victims of such sex crimes have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to award the prize to Nadia Murad and Denis Mukwege “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict”.
It said both laureates had made “a crucial contribution to focusing attention on, and combating, such war crimes,” adding: “Denis Mukwege is the helper who has devoted his life to defending these victims. Nadia Murad is the witness who tells of the abuses perpetrated against herself and others.”
Murad lived with her family in the remote village of Kocho in northern Iraq. In August 2014, Daesh launched a brutal attack on settlements in the Sinjar district, aimed at exterminating the Yazidi population. In her village, several hundred people were massacred.
The younger women, including underage children, were abducted and held as sex slaves. While held by Daesh, Murad was repeatedly subjected to rape and other abuses and threatened with execution if she did not convert to their hateful version of Islam.
She is one of an estimated 3000 Yazidi girls and women who were victims of rape and other abuses by Daesh – part of a military strategy. Thus, they served as a weapon in the fight against Yazidis and other religious minorities.
Murad managed to flee after a three-month nightmare and, following her escape, chose to speak openly about what she had suffered.
In 2016, at the age of just 23, she was named the UN’s first Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking.
Prize winner Denis Mukwege
Mukwege has spent a large part of his adult life helping the victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – said to be the rape capital of the world.
Since the Panzi Hospital was established in Bukavu in 2008 he and his staff have treated thousands of women, many of whom were victims of gang rape.
Most of the abuses have been committed in the context of a long-running civil war that has cost the lives of more than six million Congolese people.
Armed men tried to kill Mukwege in 2012, forcing him to temporarily leave the country.
The 2018 prize is worth nine million Swedish kronor (£760,000).
Last year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner was the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
Berit Reiss-Andersen, head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said this year’s winners were chosen to draw attention to the fact that “women are... actually used as weapons of war”.
After announcing the prize, she said both laureates had put their personal security at stake as activists on the issue.
The DRC government congratulated Mukwege while acknowledging that relations have been strained over the years. Spokesman Lambert Mende said he has done “remarkable work” treating victims of sexual violence during years of conflict in the country’s east.
Iraq said Murad was the first Iraqi citizen to win the top international award. State TV interrupted its normal programmes for a special broadcast about her achievement.
A UN spokeswoman said that the awarding of the prize to Mukwege and Murad for their work in combating the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war was a “fantastic announcement”.
Alessandra Velluci said: “This is a cause that is very close to the United Nations and as you know we have a special representative who is also working towards this, and I’m sure that this Nobel Peace Prize will help advance the cause of ending sexual violence as a weapon of conflict.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here