The Nobel peace prize 2018 has gone to Nadia Murad and Dennis Mukwege whose tremendous effort on fighting against sexual assault has finally been recognized globally.
“The two laureates have made crucial contribution to focusing attention on, and combating such war crimes,” said Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee as she announced the ward Friday at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo.
From the Democratic Republic of Congo, Denis Mukwege is a gynecologist and surgeon who for long has been treating thousands of women and girls affected by rape and sexual violence in DRC.
Doctor Mukwege who is 63 years old and his colleagues are said to have treated about 30,000 rape victims molding them into experts in the treatment of serious injuries sustained during sex assaults that were carried out as a weapon of war.
Doctor Mukwege has won a number of international prizes including the 2008 UN Human Rights Prize.
He was named African of the year in 2009. Speaking to CNN he described how vital it was for women brutalized in the course of DRC’s long running conflict to find support and recognition. “You just can’t imagine how a smile, a simple handshake to just tell them ‘be encouraged’ is important to them. To feel they are loved, to feel they can finally find love and affection,” he said.
He lives under the permanent protection of UN peace keepers at his Hospital and has also previously called for a tougher line on rape as a weapon of war. “Denis Mukwege is the foremost most unifying symbol both nationally and internationally, of the struggle to end sexual violence in war and armed conflicts. His basic principle is that justice is everyones business,” said Reiss Andersen.
Nadia Murad from the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar,formerly tortured and raped by Islamic state militants and later became the the face of a campaign to free the Yazidi people. In 2016 at the age of 23 she was made a UN goodwill ambassador for the dignity of survivors of human trafficking
During her months in captivity, she was bought and sold several times, and subjected to sexual and physical abuse at the hands of the Jihadists.
Miss Murad, who was named a United Nations goodwill ambassador in September, called for the creation of an international court to judge crimes committed by IS extremists in her acceptance speech in Strasbourg.
Eligible nominators from around the world for the Nobel peace prize can put forward candidates up to 1 February of the award year, while Nobel Committee members have more time. All nominations are reviewed by the committee whose five members are chosen by the Norwegian parliament.
Before a shortlist of 20-30 candidates is selected , a group of Norwegian and international advisers writes individual reports on the shortlisted candidates. Using these and further reports, the committee narrows the selection down to a handful. A decision is reached in the last meeting of the committee.
