October 08, 2018

A well-deserved Nobel peace honour for Dr. Mukwege

located:	Democratic Republic of the Congo
editor:	Bob Koigi

The United Nations has christened Democratic Republic of Congo, 'the rape capital of the world'. Forty-eight women are raped every hour in the Eastern Africa country, reports indicate, with sexual assault predominantly being used as a weapon of war in a country that has throughout the decades known no peace.

Rebels occasionally descend on villages, raping women in front of their families, a painful and psychologically scarring ordeal that often times leads to expulsion of the women from their families and their villages as a result of stigma and shame. Suicide has been their only way out.

One doctor however has taken it upon himself to correct these post-rape atrocities. Dr. Denis Mukwege offers medical help to victims of sexual attacks in Panzi Hospital, which he founded. He has so far treated over 46,000 women and girls with about half of them being victims of sexual violence. His efforts have been commended for preventing suicide among women who are often ostracised by society. He has also established City of Joy, a haven that brings together victims of rape to talk freely about it, express their experiences and seek counselling. Since its inception, City of Joy has reached more than 1,100 women. But Dr. Mukwege has always paid the price by risking his life for the cause, with armed men invading his hospital and threatening his life. To date, several of the hospital staff have been murdered. This however has not defeated his remarkable resolve to heal victims of armed conflict.

It is therefore heartwarming that Dr. Mukwege is the winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize in a gesture that celebrates and recognises the efforts of thousands of volunteers – in some of the most dangerous conflict zones who are working through tough conditions – to make life bearable for victims of war. As sex and rape continue to be used as weapons of modern conflict, the difference between surviving the ordeal and death for victims lies in the quick interventions of people like Dr. Mukwege.

In the words of the Prize’s committee. "Denis Mukwege is the foremost, most unifying symbol, both nationally and internationally, of the struggle to end sexual violence in war and armed conflicts. His basic principle is that "justice is everyone's business".