Nobel Peace Prize 2018: Mukwege, Murad and Ending Wartime Sexual Violence

This note covers the Nobel Peace Prize 2018: why Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad shared it, who they are, the conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Yazidi northern Iraq that shaped their work, how each of them fought to end sexual violence as a weapon of war, the legal rules that back that fight, how their work developed over time, why the award matters, and a quick-facts summary for exams.

What was the Nobel Peace Prize 2018 awarded for?

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2018 jointly to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad "for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict".

In plain words, the committee honoured two people who, in very different ways, forced the world to notice that rape and sexual abuse are often used on purpose in wars, not as accidents of conflict but as a deliberate tactic to terrorise, humiliate and break communities.

Denis Mukwege is a doctor who has spent decades treating women injured by such attacks and demanding justice for them.

Nadia Murad is a survivor who chose to speak publicly about the sexual violence she suffered, so that the world could not look away.

The committee said both laureates had made an important part in drawing the world's attention to, and fighting, such war crimes, and that they had thereby promoted what Alfred Nobel's will called the "fraternity of nations".

Who are the laureates?

The prize money for 2018 was 9,000,000 Swedish kronor, split equally between the two laureates, with each receiving one half of the prize.

Denis Mukwege

Denis Mukwege was born on 1 March 1955 in Bukavu, in what was then Belgian Congo and is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He studied medicine, then trained as a gynaecologist in France.

According to the press release, he established Panzi Hospital in Bukavu in 1999, where he and his staff have since treated thousands of patients who fell victim to sexual assault during the long civil war in the DRC, a conflict the committee said had killed over six million people in the DRC.

Mukwege shared one half of the prize. His contribution was decades of surgical and trauma care for survivors of sexual violence, combined with public advocacy that repeatedly criticised the Congolese government and the international community for not doing enough to stop such crimes.

Nadia Murad

Nadia Murad, whose full name is Nadia Murad Basee Taha, was born on 10 March 1993 in Kojo, Iraq. She belongs to the Yazidi minority, described in the sources as an ancient ethno-religious group living mainly in northern Iraq.

Murad shared the other half of the prize. In August 2014, militants of the group calling itself Islamic State (IS) attacked her village, killed her mother and six of her brothers, and abducted her along with other young women to be held as sex slaves.

After escaping captivity, she chose to speak openly about what she had suffered. In 2016 she was named the United Nations' first Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking, and she later wrote the autobiography The Last Girl.

What conflicts lay behind the prize?

The award sits at the meeting point of two separate wars, both of which used sexual violence against women as a tool of conflict.

The first is the long civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, fought since the 1990s largely over control of the country's valuable raw materials.

Both government forces and rebel groups used rape as a weapon to humiliate and weaken their opponents, and the fighting is said to have killed more than six million Congolese.

Denis Mukwege's hospital in Bukavu sat in the middle of this violence, treating a steady stream of women with severe injuries caused by gang rape and related brutality.

The second conflict is the campaign that the Islamic State launched in 2014 against the Yazidi minority of northern Iraq, centred on the Sinjar district and villages such as Kocho (also spelled Kojo), where Nadia Murad lived.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee's press release describes how IS massacred several hundred people in Kocho and abducted the younger women, including underage children; the ceremony speech adds that this was intended to exterminate the Yazidi people by killing the men and so damaging the women that they became social outcasts.

Rape and other abuses in this campaign were inflicted on an estimated 3,000 Yazidi girls and women, Nadia Murad among them.

How did Denis Mukwege fight sexual violence as a weapon of war?

Mukwege's response to the violence around him was both medical and political. As a surgeon he became, according to the press release, one of the world's foremost specialists in repairing the internal injuries caused by brutal gang rape, carrying out countless operations and sometimes working shifts of up to 18 hours.

Panzi Hospital grew beyond surgery alone: the ceremony speech notes that it also provided trauma treatment and programmes to help women who had lost their families and community support reintegrate into society.

Alongside this medical work, Mukwege became what the committee called the foremost, most unifying symbol, both at home and abroad, of the fight to stop wartime sexual violence.

His guiding principle, quoted in the press release, was that "justice is everyone's business", meaning soldiers, officers, and local, national and international authorities all shared responsibility for reporting and combating these crimes.

He repeatedly condemned impunity for mass rape and publicly criticised both the Congolese government and other countries for failing to stop the use of sexual violence as a strategy of war.

This advocacy made him enemies: in 2012, an attack on him and his family killed one of his bodyguards, and the family survived an assassination attempt that same year.

How did Nadia Murad become a witness and advocate?

Nadia Murad's role in the prize rests on what she did after her escape, not only on what was done to her.

While a captive of IS she was repeatedly raped and threatened with execution if she refused to convert to the group's version of Islam. After roughly three months, she managed to flee, and in 2015 she reached Germany.

There she made a deliberate choice, described in the sources as an act of defiance against social codes that pressure women to stay silent and ashamed about such abuse.

She spoke publicly about what had happened to her and to thousands of other Yazidi women and children, hoping this would help bring the perpetrators to justice.

She was just 23 when, in 2016, she was appointed the UN's first Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking.

Her autobiography, The Last Girl, set out this hope directly: the ceremony speech expresses the wish that her generation of young women and girls might be the last to suffer such crimes.

What legal framework backs the fight against wartime sexual violence?

The committee's press release and ceremony speech place both laureates' work within a developing body of international law that treats sexual violence in conflict as a war crime, not an unfortunate side effect of fighting. Several instruments mark this development, summarised below.

The ceremony speech also notes that tribunals dealing with war crimes in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia applied similar principles, handing down judgments against people who organised systematic rape as part of widespread attacks on civilians.

The committee framed Mukwege's and Murad's work as a practical contribution to enforcing these standards: naming the crime, demanding prosecution, and refusing to let it be written off as ordinary collateral damage of war.

How did the work develop over the years?

The committee's ceremony speech, delivered in Oslo on 10 December 2018, also pointed out that the award fell on the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document holding, as the speech puts it, that every human being is born free and equal in dignity and rights.

Why does this Nobel Peace Prize matter?

The committee's stated reasoning was that wartime sexual violence had long been a hidden war, rarely placed on the agenda during peace negotiations or transitional justice processes.

By honouring a doctor who treated the physical and social wounds of survivors and a survivor who insisted on telling her own story, the committee aimed to make this form of war crime impossible to ignore and to press for accountability of perpetrators.

The prize also carried an explicit obligation, as the ceremony speech put it: it obliges the laureates to continue their work, and it obliges everyone else to stand with them in trying to end wartime sexual violence.

Open questions that the sources leave unresolved include whether perpetrators in the DRC and in the IS campaign against the Yazidi would actually be prosecuted, and whether international legal standards such as the Rome Statute and Security Council resolutions would be enforced rather than merely declared.

How does this connect to what you study?

This prize links directly to topics in civics and political science about human rights and international law, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the role of bodies like the International Criminal Court and the United Nations Security Council.

It shows how an abstract legal document or resolution, such as the Rome Statute or Resolution 1820, is meant to translate into protection for real people in real wars, and how slowly and unevenly that translation can happen.

The ceremony speech itself draws this connection explicitly, noting that the award fell on the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document stating that every human being is born free and equal in dignity and rights, and that sexual abuse likewise violates these basic rights.

Students studying the structure of the United Nations can also trace how a Security Council resolution, such as Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in 2000, moves from a political statement to a tool cited by courts and committees years later.

The speech also mentions earlier tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, which gives students of modern history a concrete example of how international courts have tried to apply such legal standards to real conflicts, with uneven success.

What role did international institutions and earlier laureates play?

The ceremony speech situates Mukwege and Murad within a wider history of institutions and people working on these issues, not as isolated figures acting alone.

It recalls an earlier Peace Prize laureate, Tawakkol Karman of Yemen, whose prize also recognised the struggle for women's rights, and quotes her as saying "Injustice against one person is injustice against all mankind".

The speech also names the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Zainab Hawa Bangura, who stated: "Sexual violence in conflict needs to be treated as the war crime that it is; it can no longer be written off or treated as an unfortunate collateral damage of war."

This matters because the 2018 prize was not presented as a one-off recognition of two individuals, but as part of a continuing effort by the United Nations, international courts and earlier Nobel laureates to push governments towards treating wartime sexual violence as a prosecutable crime rather than an unavoidable side effect of conflict.

The speech describes tribunals dealing with war crimes in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia as having applied similar legal principles earlier, handing down judgments against people who organised systematic rape as part of widespread attacks on civilians, showing that the legal groundwork for prosecuting such crimes already existed before 2018.

Quick facts for exams

The Nobel Peace Prize 2018 was announced on 5 October 2018 by the Norwegian Nobel Committee and awarded jointly to Denis Mukwege, a Congolese gynaecologist born in Bukavu in 1955, and Nadia Murad, a Yazidi survivor born in Kojo, Iraq, in 1993.

Each received one half of the 9,000,000 Swedish kronor prize. The official citation honoured their efforts "to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict".

Mukwege founded Panzi Hospital in Bukavu to treat survivors of sexual violence during the DRC civil war; Murad survived abduction and sexual slavery under the Islamic State in 2014 and became a UN Goodwill Ambassador in 2016. The award ceremony took place in Oslo on 10 December 2018.

Note: Source. The prize facts in this note are from the Nobel Prize's official site, nobelprize.org.

Glossary

• Nobel Peace Prize — an annual award, decided by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, for the person or organisation judged to have done the most for peace and fraternity among nations.
• Yazidi — a member of an ancient ethno-religious minority living mainly in northern Iraq.
• Islamic State (IS) — the militant group that attacked Yazidi villages in Sinjar in 2014.
• Panzi Hospital — the hospital in Bukavu, DRC, established by Denis Mukwege to treat victims of sexual violence.
• Sexual violence as a weapon of war — the deliberate use of rape and related abuse to terrorise, humiliate or destabilise an enemy population.
• War crime — a serious violation of the laws of war, for which international law allows individuals to be prosecuted.
• Rome Statute — the 1998 treaty that created the International Criminal Court and defines offences such as wartime rape as war crimes.
• International Criminal Court — the court established under the Rome Statute to try individuals for war crimes and related offences.
• UN Security Council Resolution 1820 — a 2008 resolution declaring sexual violence in war a threat to international peace and security.
• Goodwill Ambassador — a public role given by the United Nations to a person who campaigns on a particular humanitarian cause.
• Impunity — escaping punishment for a crime, a situation Mukwege repeatedly condemned.
• Fraternity of nations — a phrase from Alfred Nobel's will describing cooperation and goodwill among countries.
• Trauma treatment — care that helps survivors cope with the psychological effects of violence, offered at Panzi Hospital alongside surgery.
• The Last Girl — Nadia Murad's autobiography describing her captivity and her hope that future generations of girls will not suffer similar crimes.

Common errors and misconceptions

• Misconception: Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad received separate, unrelated prizes. Correct: They were awarded one joint Nobel Peace Prize for 2018, sharing it equally.
• Misconception: The prize was mainly about the war in the DRC. Correct: It covered sexual violence as a weapon of war in general, drawing on both the DRC civil war and the IS campaign against the Yazidi.
• Misconception: Nadia Murad is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Correct: She was born in Kojo, Iraq, and belongs to the Yazidi minority.
• Misconception: Panzi Hospital only performs surgery. Correct: It also provides trauma treatment and reintegration support for survivors, according to the ceremony speech.
• Misconception: The Rome Statute was written specifically for this prize or for the DRC conflict. Correct: It is a general 1998 treaty creating the International Criminal Court, which also covers wartime sexual violence as a war crime.
• Misconception: Nadia Murad escaped IS captivity within days. Correct: The sources describe roughly three months of captivity before her escape.
• Misconception: The prize citation names only one laureate's contribution. Correct: The same citation, about ending sexual violence as a weapon of war, applies jointly to both laureates.

Exam-style questions with model answers

Q1. In which year was the Nobel Peace Prize 2018 announced? [1 mark]

1. It was announced on 5 October 2018 by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Q2. State the official citation for the Nobel Peace Prize 2018. [2 marks]

1. The prize was awarded "for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict", shared equally by Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad.

Q3. Briefly describe Denis Mukwege's medical and advocacy work. [3 marks]

1. Mukwege is a gynaecologist born in Bukavu who established Panzi Hospital in 1999 to treat women injured by sexual violence during the DRC civil war.
2. He became one of the world's leading surgeons for repairing injuries caused by gang rape, performing long operations and running trauma and reintegration programmes.
3. He also campaigned publicly, insisting that "justice is everyone's business" and criticising the Congolese government and other countries for not stopping such crimes.

Q4. How did Nadia Murad become involved in the events that led to the prize? [4 marks]

1. Nadia Murad is a Yazidi from the village of Kocho in northern Iraq.
2. In 2014 the Islamic State attacked her village, killed her mother and six brothers, and abducted her as a sex slave.
3. She was repeatedly raped and threatened with execution if she refused to convert, before escaping after about three months and reaching Germany in 2015.
4. She then spoke publicly about her experiences and became the UN's first Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking in 2016.

Q5. Name two international legal instruments mentioned in connection with wartime sexual violence, and state what each established. [4 marks]

1. The Rome Statute of 1998 created the International Criminal Court and defined rape and sexual slavery, committed as part of a systematic attack on civilians, as war crimes.
2. UN Security Council Resolution 1820 of 2008 determined that sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict is both a war crime and a threat to international peace and security.

Q6. Discuss why the Norwegian Nobel Committee chose to award the 2018 Peace Prize jointly to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad, referring to the conflicts involved and the committee's stated reasoning, in five distinct points. [6 marks]

1. The committee said both laureates made a crucial contribution to focusing attention on, and combating, war crimes of sexual violence.
2. Mukwege's contribution came from the DRC civil war, where government and rebel forces used rape as a weapon, and where he treated thousands of victims at Panzi Hospital while publicly demanding accountability.
3. Murad's contribution came from the Islamic State's 2014 campaign against the Yazidi in Sinjar, where she was abducted and abused, and where she later chose to speak openly rather than stay silent.
4. The committee called their combined struggle part of a long tradition defending human dignity, describing Mukwege as the helper and Murad as the witness.
5. It linked their work to the fraternity of nations in Alfred Nobel's will and to international law such as the Rome Statute and Security Council Resolution 1820, arguing that naming and punishing these crimes was essential for lasting peace.

Q7. What risks did Denis Mukwege face because of his advocacy work? [2 marks]

1. In 2012 Mukwege and his family survived an assassination attempt, and a bodyguard was killed in an attack targeting them.

Q8. Why did the committee describe wartime sexual violence as a "hidden war"? [3 marks]

1. The committee said sexual violence against women in war had rarely been placed on the agenda during peace negotiations or transitional justice processes.
2. Because it stayed hidden in this way, perpetrators often escaped accountability.
3. This is one reason the committee highlighted the laureates' work in making such violence visible and demanding accountability.

Key takeaways

• The Nobel Peace Prize 2018 went jointly to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad for efforts to end sexual violence as a weapon of war.
• Mukwege is a Congolese gynaecologist who founded Panzi Hospital in Bukavu to treat survivors of gang rape during the DRC civil war.
• Murad is a Yazidi survivor of the 2014 Islamic State attack on Sinjar, who later became a UN Goodwill Ambassador.
• The citation recognised their different roles: Mukwege as the helper treating victims, Murad as the witness telling the world what happened.
• International instruments such as the Rome Statute and Security Council Resolution 1820 define wartime sexual violence as a prosecutable war crime.
• Both laureates faced personal danger for their advocacy, including an assassination attempt on Mukwege in 2012.
• The ceremony speech linked the award to the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 2018.
• The prize carried 9,000,000 Swedish kronor, shared equally between the two laureates.

Test yourself

When was the Nobel Peace Prize 2018 announced?

It was announced on 5 October 2018 by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Who are the two laureates of the Nobel Peace Prize 2018?

They are Denis Mukwege, a Congolese doctor, and Nadia Murad, a Yazidi survivor and activist from Iraq.

What hospital did Denis Mukwege establish, and where?

He established Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to treat victims of sexual violence.

What happened to Nadia Murad's village in 2014?

Islamic State militants attacked her village of Kocho, killed many people including her mother and six brothers, and abducted young women as sex slaves.

What UN role was Nadia Murad given in 2016?

She was named the United Nations' first Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking.

What does the Rome Statute of 1998 establish about wartime rape?

It defines rape and sexual slavery, when part of a systematic attack on civilians, as war crimes under the International Criminal Court.

What risk did Denis Mukwege face in 2012?

He and his family survived an assassination attempt, in which one of his bodyguards was killed.

What is the title of Nadia Murad's autobiography?

Her autobiography is called The Last Girl, describing her captivity and hope for future generations of girls.