How could I be silent about it? In every raped woman I see my own mother or sister, and in every raped child – my own child, says Denis Mukwege, a Kenyan gynecologist who won the Nobel Peace Prize. He treated several thousand women who were victims of sexual violence during the Congo Civil War. He also publicly criticizes his own country’s government for not doing enough to get the perpetrators of rape prosecuted and severely punished.
- Each of them fought in their own way to publicize the rapes and to allow the perpetrators to stand trial – on Friday, October 5 at 11 The Norwegian Nobel Committee has announced that Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad will receive this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.
- Mukwege is 63 years old, he is a gynecologist. He was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has eight siblings. He studied medicine, among others in France, but returned to the Congo and here treated several thousand women who had been sexually assaulted during the Civil War
- In every raped woman I see my own mother or sister, and in every raped child – my own child. How could I be silent about it? – said Mukwege in the documentary “The Man Who Makes Women.” The Wrath of Hippocrates “
Denis Mukwege is a Congolese gynecologist, Nadia Murad is a social activist from Iraq – this year’s Nobel Peace Prize will go to the hands of two people who sacrifice their lives to prevent rape and all sexual violence from being a tool of warfare.
– Each of them fought in their own way to publicize the rapes and for the perpetrators to be brought to trial. Denis Mukwege sacrificed his life to defend crime victims. Nadia Murad is a witness who tells about the crimes committed against her and others – it was written in the justification for the election of the Nobel Prize committee. Murad has been raped many times after falling into the hands of Islamic State jihadists. – After what we’ve been through, I’m not afraid of anything in life. I don’t think anything worse could happen to me – she said in one of the interviews. She founded Nadia’s Initiative – a non-governmental organization that fights for the rights of persecuted minorities and nations.
Denis Mukwege has been a gynecologist since 1999 and has since treated several thousand women who were sexually assaulted during the Congo War. Because these women were his main patients. In order to comprehensively help them, he built (e.g. by sacrificing his own money) the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu.
– In every raped woman I see my own mother or sister, and in every raped child – my own child. How could I be silent about it? – said Denis Mukwege in the documentary “The man who mends women. The Wrath of Hippocrates ”directed by Thierry Michel. The Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, which he has built and in which he works, provides comprehensive, not only medical, but also mental help to victims of mass rape that took place during the civil war.
He is completely devoted to his work. He has many years of experience because he has been a gynecologist since 1999. He has operated on thousands of women. Even today, up to ten of them operate daily. He works not only as a doctor. It publicizes rape and publicly criticizes the authorities of its country for the fact that the victims of sexual violence in the areas of armed conflicts do not have sufficient support and the perpetrators are not stigmatized and punished. It is about women who were victims of group brutal rapes during the Second Civil War.
The fact that Mukwege is an advocate of recognizing gang rape as a war crime and punishing the perpetrators required enormous courage, because in African countries a raped woman is treated as disgraced, unclean and, instead of support, she is ostracized in her family and community.
The work of a gynecologist was so inconvenient for many people in Congo that in 2012 an attempt was made on the doctor’s life – his home was attacked by militants and attempted to murder him.
And the film “The Man Who Makes Women. The Wrath of Hippocrates ”was banned in Congo shortly after its premiere.
Mukwege won the UN Human Rights Award in 2008 and the Right Livelihood Award in 2013, “for courageous work for women who have experienced wartime sexual violence and for boldly speaking about the underlying causes of this violence”. Before winning the Nobel Prize, he was listed as a candidate twice. Four years ago, Mukwege won the Sakharov Prize, which is awarded by the European Parliament for freedom of speech. Nelson Mandela and the Belarusian Association of Journalists.
Murad and Mugwego defeated over 300 candidates, including 115 organizations. They will share a million Swedish crowns, because that’s the prize. The gala at which they will be honored – December 10, 2018 in Oslo.
Source: reuters, pap, wikipedia, tvn24