Crisis Group Congratulates 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Winners

The International Crisis Group extends its warmest congratulations to this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winners Nadia Murad and Denis Mukwege, both of whom have made extraordinary strides in their activism against sexual violence in conflict.

Nadia Murad, an Iraqi Yazidi who escaped captivity by the Islamic State in Iraq after months of abuse, and Denis Mukwege, a Congolese gynaecologist who has dedicated a lifetime to treating victims of rape in DR Congo, were announced as the recipients of the prestigious award on Friday 5 October 2018.

The Nobel Peace Prize Committee’s recognition of these two individuals’ struggles and activism shines a light on what is a hidden face of war that often disproportionately affects women and girls.

“Conflict is not often enough seen through the prism of the extraordinary harm done by tactics of rape and other forms of sexual violence”, said Crisis Group’s President & CEO Robert Malley. “Today is an important milestone for recognising both the long-lasting effect of sexual violence on survivors and communities, and what remains to be done to prevent it as a strategy of war”.

Crisis Group will continue its efforts alongside others to find ways to both prevent and combat the use of sexual violence in conflicts around the world.