ISIS militants overran Nadia Murad's village in northern Iraq when she was just a high school student. In 2018 the 25-year-old became a joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.
She shared the honor with Denis Mukwege, a doctor who has worked to treat thousands of women and girls affected by rape and sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Unlike some previous winners of the prestigious award, such as Nelson Mandela or Malala Yousafzai, Murad isn't a global household name. But she's become an increasingly high-profile voice. She has used her traumatic experience -- kidnapped, enslaved and raped by ISIS fighters -- to become an advocate for the Yazidi minority in Iraq and to fight for the rights of women and refugees.
The Nobel committee chair said Murad had "shown uncommon courage in recounting her own sufferings and speaking up on behalf of other victims."
Murad was in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when she learned she had won the prize.
No comments:
Post a Comment