Activists Against Sexual Violence in War Win Nobel Peace Prize

Nadia Murad and Denis Mukwege were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war”, said Berit Reiss-Andersen, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday, October 5.

Murad was captured by Islamic State militants, who held her as a slave, during which time she was tortured and raped. She has campaigned to defend the Yazidi minority, refugees and victims of human trafficking since her escape.

Mukwege, gynecologist, worked for many years in Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, treating victims of sexual violence in the area.

Murad released a statement, saying: “I am incredibly honored and humbled by their support and I share this award with Yazidis, Iraqis, Kurds, other persecuted minorities and all of the countless victims of sexual violence around the world” Credit: UNIFEED || OHCHR via Storyful