Statement by Dr. Denis Mukwege on the occasion of his receiving the Nobel Peace Prize 2018
Ladies and Gentlemen, members of the Nobel Prize committee, Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, friends of Peace, friends of humanity. It is with great humility that I hear this news [while I was in the operating room]. Today my thoughts are with all survivors of rape and sexual violence in conflict around the world.
I am honored to be appointed, alongside Nadia Murad with whom for some time we have shared the fight and for whom I have a lot of respect because her courage and her strength to denounce this barbarity in conflicts goes beyond everything what one can imagine.
Dear Nobel Prize Committee, you have listened to his voice, you have listened to the voices of all the survivors.
Indeed, this honor is an inspiration because it shows that the world is indeed paying attention to the tragedy of rape and sexual violence and that the women and children who have suffered it for too long are not ignored.
This Nobel Prize reflects the recognition and the need for just reparation for women victims of rape and sexual violence on all the continents of Asia, Oceania, Europe, America and Africa. It is an important step towards this long awaited remedy which we all owe to these women.
I dedicate it to the women of all countries of the world, scarred by conflict and confronted with everyday violence. For nearly 20 years I have witnessed war crimes against women not only in DR Congo but also in several other countries around the world. I would like to tell you that through this award the world listens to you and refuses indifference, refuses to stand idly by in the face of your suffering.
This award will only have meaning if it plays the role of mobilization to change the situation of women in zones of armed conflict. We hope that the world will soon act with strength and determination on your behalf because the survival of humanity depends on you.
It is you, the women, who carry humanity.
Thank you.
Ladies and Gentlemen, members of the Nobel Prize committee, Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, friends of Peace, friends of humanity. It is with great humility that I hear this news [while I was in the operating room]. Today my thoughts are with all survivors of rape and sexual violence in conflict around the world.
I am honored to be appointed, alongside Nadia Murad with whom for some time we have shared the fight and for whom I have a lot of respect because her courage and her strength to denounce this barbarity in conflicts goes beyond everything what one can imagine.
Dear Nobel Prize Committee, you have listened to his voice, you have listened to the voices of all the survivors.
Indeed, this honor is an inspiration because it shows that the world is indeed paying attention to the tragedy of rape and sexual violence and that the women and children who have suffered it for too long are not ignored.
This Nobel Prize reflects the recognition and the need for just reparation for women victims of rape and sexual violence on all the continents of Asia, Oceania, Europe, America and Africa. It is an important step towards this long awaited remedy which we all owe to these women.
I dedicate it to the women of all countries of the world, scarred by conflict and confronted with everyday violence. For nearly 20 years I have witnessed war crimes against women not only in DR Congo but also in several other countries around the world. I would like to tell you that through this award the world listens to you and refuses indifference, refuses to stand idly by in the face of your suffering.
This award will only have meaning if it plays the role of mobilization to change the situation of women in zones of armed conflict. We hope that the world will soon act with strength and determination on your behalf because the survival of humanity depends on you.
It is you, the women, who carry humanity.
Thank you.
More on Dr Mukwege
Dr. Denis Mukwege is a world-renowned gynecological surgeon who is the founder and medical director of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As a young child, Dr. Mukwege accompanied his father, a Pentecostal pastor, while visiting sick members of the community. This later inspired him to become a doctor. The Swedish Pentecostal mission helped support him in his medical studies. He decided to specialize in gynecology and obstetrics after observing that female patients at Lemera Hospital suffered from insufficient medical care, which caused complications during their deliveries.
He founded the hospital in 1999 as a clinic for gynecological and obstetric care, and expected to be working on issues of maternal health. Since 1999, however, Dr. Mukwege and his staff have helped to care for more than 50,000 survivors of sexual violence. The hospital not only treats survivors with physical wounds, but also provides legal, and psycho-social services to its patients. Even patients who cannot afford post-rape medical care are treated without charge at Panzi Hospital. Dr. Mukwege has been fearless in his efforts to increase protections for women and to advocate that those responsible for sexual violence be brought to justice, including the Congolese government and militia groups laying siege to eastern DRC.
How to see CITY OF JOY, the film produced in 2016.
TRAILER: https://www.cityofjoyfilm.com/
The film tells of how Dr. Denis Mukwege, (2016 Nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize), radical playwright and activist, Eve Ensler, (Tony Award winning playwright of The Vagina Monologues) and a charismatic Congolese human rights activist, Christine Schuler Deschryver, (Director of the City of Joy) join forces to create this safe haven in the middle of violence-torn Eastern Congo.
https://cityofjoycongo.org/city-joy-film/
Dr. Denis Mukwege is a world-renowned gynecological surgeon who is the founder and medical director of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As a young child, Dr. Mukwege accompanied his father, a Pentecostal pastor, while visiting sick members of the community. This later inspired him to become a doctor. The Swedish Pentecostal mission helped support him in his medical studies. He decided to specialize in gynecology and obstetrics after observing that female patients at Lemera Hospital suffered from insufficient medical care, which caused complications during their deliveries.
He founded the hospital in 1999 as a clinic for gynecological and obstetric care, and expected to be working on issues of maternal health. Since 1999, however, Dr. Mukwege and his staff have helped to care for more than 50,000 survivors of sexual violence. The hospital not only treats survivors with physical wounds, but also provides legal, and psycho-social services to its patients. Even patients who cannot afford post-rape medical care are treated without charge at Panzi Hospital. Dr. Mukwege has been fearless in his efforts to increase protections for women and to advocate that those responsible for sexual violence be brought to justice, including the Congolese government and militia groups laying siege to eastern DRC.
How to see CITY OF JOY, the film produced in 2016.
TRAILER: https://www.cityofjoyfilm.com/
The film tells of how Dr. Denis Mukwege, (2016 Nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize), radical playwright and activist, Eve Ensler, (Tony Award winning playwright of The Vagina Monologues) and a charismatic Congolese human rights activist, Christine Schuler Deschryver, (Director of the City of Joy) join forces to create this safe haven in the middle of violence-torn Eastern Congo.
https://cityofjoycongo.org/city-joy-film/