A Congolese doctor who treats rape victims and an Iraqi woman who speaks out for those \u2013 like herself \u2013 who were raped and tortured by Islamic State have won the Nobel Peace Prize for t<\/b>
\nBy Mark Lewis and Jim Heintz, Associated Press
October 5 2018 1:43 PM
A Congolese doctor who treats rape victims and an Iraqi woman who speaks out for those \u2013 like herself \u2013 who were raped and tortured by Islamic State have won the Nobel Peace Prize for their work to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.
Dr Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad \u201chave made a crucial contribution to focusing attention on, and combating, such war crimes\u201d, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.
\u201cDenis 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.\u201d
Denis Mukwege\u2019s basic principle is that \u201cjustice is everyone\u2019s business\u201d. The 2018 Peace Laureate is the foremost, most unifying symbol, both nationally and internationally, of the struggle to end sexual violence in war and armed conflicts. @DenisMukwege #NobelPrize pic.twitter.com\/KSzecKSkUc
Dr Mukwege, 63, founded a hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo\u2019s eastern Bukavu region and has treated thousands of women, many of whom were victims of gang rape in the central African nation that has been wracked by conflict for decades.
Armed men tried to kill him in 2012, forcing him to temporarily leave the country.
At 19, Ms Murad was one of an estimated 3,000 Yazidi girls and women kidnapped in 2014 by IS militants in Iraq and sold into sex slavery.
She was raped, beaten and tortured before managing to escape after three months.
Following her escape from IS, Peace Laureate Nadia Murad chose to speak openly about what she had suffered. In 2016, at the age of just 23, she was named the UN\u2019s first Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking. @NadiaMuradBasee #NobelPrize pic.twitter.com\/wgEjOxRHS9
After getting treatment in Germany, she then spoke to the world about the horrors still being faced by her religious minority.
At 23, she was named the UN\u2019s first goodwill ambassador for the dignity of survivors of human trafficking.
Both honorees are the first from their countries \u2013 Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq \u2013 to receive a Nobel Prize and will split the award, which is worth nine million Swedish kronor (\u00a3760,000).
The Nobel Peace award comes amid a heightened attention to the sexual abuse of women \u2013 in war, in the workplace and in society \u2013 that has been highlighted by the MeToo movement.
\u201cWe want to send a message that women who constitute half the population in those communities actually are used as weapons and that they need protection, and that the perpetrators have to be prosecuted and held responsible,\u201d said Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairwoman of the Norwegian committee.
\u201cMeToo and war crimes is not quite the same thing but they do however have in common that it is important to see the suffering of women,\u201d said Ms Reiss-Andersen.
Dr Mukwege, a gynaecological surgeon, said he was nearing the end of his second surgery of the day on Friday when he heard people crying in the hospital.
They had heard about him winning the peace prize.
\u201cI can see in the faces of many women how they are happy to be recognised. This is really so touching,\u201d he said in a brief telephone interview with the Nobel Prize organisation.
Mobile phone footage of the scene in DRC showed a smiling Dr Mukwege jostled by dancing, ululating medical colleagues in scrubs.
\u201cHallelujah!\u201d one man cried as women wiped their eyes.
„I can see in the faces of many women how they are happy to be recognised.“ Denis Mukwege was performing his second operation of the day when he found out that he had received the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. Hear the interview: https:\/\/t.co\/DcrwhoqOjf
Dr Mukwege tried to address the crowd in the hospital\u2019s courtyard but was drowned out by cheering and song.
Eastern DRC has seen more than two decades of conflict among armed groups that either sought to unseat presidents or simply grab control of a piece of the country\u2019s vast mineral wealth.
\u201cThe importance of Dr Mukwege\u2019s enduring, dedicated and selfless efforts in this field cannot be overstated. He has repeatedly condemned impunity for mass rape and criticised the Congolese government and other countries for not doing enough to stop the use of sexual violence against women as a strategy and weapon of war,\u201d the Nobel committee said.
Ms Murad\u2019s book, The Last Girl, tells of her captivity, the loss of her family and her eventual escape.
The Yazidis are an ancient religious minority, falsely branded as devil-worshippers by Sunni Muslim extremists.
IS, adopting a radical interpretation of ancient Islamic texts, declared that Yazidi women and even young girls could be taken as sex slaves.
Iraqi President Bahram Saleh praised the award for Ms Murad, saying on Twitter that it was an \u201chonour for all Iraqis who fought terrorism and bigotry\u201d.
DRC\u2019s government congratulated Dr Mukwege while acknowledging that their relations with him have been strained.
Government spokesman Lambert Mende said Dr Mukwege did \u201cremarkable\u201d work, though he claimed the laureate tended to politicise it.
\u201c(Still) we salute that a colleague is recognised,\u201d he said.
\u201cI am proud to be Congolese,\u201d said the country\u2019s top opposition leader, Felix Tshisekedi, in a Twitter post.
\u201cGood done for others always ends up being rewarded.\u201d
Last year\u2019s Peace Prize winner was the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
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