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.
“Honoring Nadia Murad with the Nobel Peace Prize is an extraordinary recognition of a remarkable young person,” said AJC CEO David Harris, who has met Murad in New York and Berlin, in a statement. “In an extremely dire situation, Nadia mustered the courage and resolve to escape from savage ISIS captivity and emerge as an articulate voice of clarity and empathy for the Yazidi people, indeed for all who are survivors of rape and other forms of sexual abuse in brutal, violent conflicts.
“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.
