Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad win 2018 Noble Peace Prize
The 2018 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Dr. Denis Mukwege, a Congolese gynecological surgeon, and Nadia Murad, the face of the women forced into sexual slavery by the Islamic State. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said that the two campaigners were awarded "for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict." Here's more.
Here's the official announcement
BREAKING NEWS:
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 5, 2018
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2018 to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict. #NobelPrize #NobelPeacePrize pic.twitter.com/LaICSbQXWM
Who is Dr. Denis Mukwege?
Dr. Mukwege is the helper who risked his life and set a campaign to end mass rape as a weapon of war. He worked in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Dr. Mukwege performed surgery on countless women in his hospital where there was barely any electricity and never enough anesthesia. He has fought to put a spotlight on the plight of Congolese women.
Who is Nadia Murad?
Nadia Murad was among thousands of other women and girls from the Yazidi minority when the Islamic State (ISIS) hunted down her homeland in Northern Iraq in 2014. While a majority of women, who escaped, refuse to be named or even talk, Murad herself went to the reporters to get identified. She started a worldwide campaign against the rape of Yazidi women by ISIS.
The story of her suffering
Nadia Murad fought out her fear telling and retelling her story of suffering to the United Nations Security Council, the United States House of Representatives, Britain's House of Commons, and numerous other global bodies.
Meanwhile, a bit about the upcoming Nobel Prizes
While the Noble Prize in Literature has been postponed, the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science will be announced on Monday in Sweden.
