The 2018 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Dr. Denis Mukwege, the 63-year-old noted surgeon gynecologist and women’s rights activist in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is also the founder of the Panzi Hospital, which he established in 1999 as a clinic of gynecological and obstetric care, in the city of Bakavu.
Dr. Mukwege is also a noted Christian, and his father was a Pentecostal minister.
Nadia Murad, a 25-year-old Yazidi Kurdish human rights activist from Iraq, also received the award. She was kidnapped and held by the Islamic state for almost three years, during which time she was repeatedly raped. According to his biography, Dr. Mukwege and his staff have cared for more than 40,000 women who have been victims of violent abuse by armed rebels. His devotion to this cause has made him the world’s leading expert on repairing the internal physical damage caused by gang rape.
The clinic not only treats survivors with physical wounds, but also provides legal, psycho-social services and socio-economic support for its patients. It is a one-stop hospital providing holistic medical care to survivors of rape and other patients in need of medical care in the region.
Because of his work and outspoken criticism of the perpetrators, Dr. Mukwege has himself been violently attacked and he and his family have been under continual threats.
The prizes were awarded on October 5 in Oslo, Norway.
