Fight against sexual violence wins Nobel

Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege and Yazidi campaigner Nadia Murad won the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize yesterday for their work in fighting sexual violence in conflicts around the world. The pair won the award “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict,” Nobel committee chairwoman Berit Reiss-Andersen said in unveiling the winners in Oslo, an announcement which won international praise.

“A more peaceful world can only be achieved if women and their fundamental rights and security are recognised and protected in war,” she said. One a doctor, the other a former Islamic State sex slave, both have come to represent the struggle against a global scourge which goes well beyond any single conflict, as the #MeToo movement has shown.

The prize was announced as #MeToo marks its first anniversary after a year in which allegations of sexual abuse, rape and harassment have toppled dozens of powerful men. By recognising the pair’s work, the Nobel committee has placed a spotlight on the use of sexual violence in war as a global problem.