With the start of October people have been waiting for the announcement of Nobel Prize laureates with anticipation. While the prize in literature has been postponed until 2019 due to sexual assault allegations within the Swedish Academy, the remaining five laureates have just been announced. It is not uncommon to ‘split’ the award between more than one person (the limit being 3) for their separate achievements, and this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is no exception as it was awarded to two exceptional people. Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad were jointly awarded the prize for their work “to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict”.

Dr. Mukwege is a Congolese gynecologist who founded the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu back in 1999 to treat women with complex gynecological damage and trauma with an estimated 60% of the cases being the result of sexual trauma. Mukwege observed that the sexual violence and genital damaging was being used as a weapon of war in the conflicts in Congo and dedicated his life to reconstructive surgery in order to help the female victims. In 2012, Denis Mukwege gave a speech at the United Nations condemning the use of mass rape as a strategy of war. He faced death threats and even attempts for his role in fighting sexual violence, yet persevered.

Nadia Murad is a Yazidi-Iraqi human rights activist. In September of 2014, she was captured by ISIS in the village of Kojo in Sinjar, northern Iraq, and later sold as a slave. Over 600 villagers were killed, including Nadia’s 6 brothers and stepbrothers. Murad escaped her captors in early 2015 and shared her story of violence, rape and terror with the world, culminating in her meeting with the United Nations Security Council where she briefed them on the issues of human trafficking and conflict. She continued her activism, becoming the Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations and founding Nadia’s Initiative, an organization dedicated to helping women and children “victimized by genocide, mass atrocities, and human trafficking to heal and re-build their lives and communities”.

As always, the announcement gathered a lot of attention and people on the Internet had a lot to say about the committee’s choice. Scroll down below to read the announcement and what people had to say and don’t forget to share what you think.

More info: Nobel Prize

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad

Image credits: Photo Claude TRUONG-NGOC

Dr. Mukwege is a Congolese gynecologist who helped thousands of female victims of sexual violence in Congo

Image credits: PINAULT/VOA

After observing that genital damaging was used as a weapon of war, he dedicated his life to help the victims

Image credits: Photo Claude TRUONG-NGOC

Denis Mukwege gave a speech at the United Nations condemning the use of mass rape as a strategy of war

Image credits: DFID

Nadia Murad is a Yazidi-Iraqi human rights activist, the Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations and founder of Nadia’s Initiative

Image credits: U.S. Department of State

In 2014 she was captured and sold as a slave by ISIS, yet escaped her captors and shared her story of violence, rape and terror with the world

Image credits: Bundesministerium für Europa

She started an organization dedicated to helping women and children “victimized by genocide, mass atrocities, and human trafficking to heal and re-build their lives and communities”

Image credits: Frank Schwichtenberg

On the 5th of October, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced their decision

People on the internet had a lot to say about the announcement

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