A former sex slave of the Islamic State, 2018 Nobel Peace Prize co-recipient Nadia Murad escaped from her captors in 2014 and has since fought on behalf of those affected by sexual violence as an act of war, in addition to sounding the alarm on the plight of victims targeted by the genocide of Christians and Yazidis through ongoing advocacy.
The American Jewish Committee applauded the move.
“Brave individuals, even the youngest, are ultimately the most critical and impactful ones calling out as loudly as they can for urgent help,” added Harris. “The Nobel Prize Committee heard Nadia Murad, and has given an unparallel[ed] boost to her and the battle against those who continue to use sex as a weapon of war.”
Murad, 25, shares this year’s prize with Denis Mukwege, a gynecologist and surgeon who has worked to treat thousands of females affected by sexual violence and rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo.