for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict murad

Denis Mukwege for Fighting Sexual Violence Read More: 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Nadia Murad and Dr. Mukwege, whose hospital in Bukavo in the Democratic Republic of Congo has treated tens of thousands of victims, told the Grand Duchess that he had started a movement of survivors and what they needed was a platform. “I decided that I wanted to meet him and he very kindly came to see me at the palace the next day and we started talking … and I said to him: in what way can I help?” she recalled. So when she heard Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege speak about sexual violence in conflict in 2017, she was immediately moved to help. She has been a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for more than two decades, visiting incarcerated children in Burundi as part of her role, and is also a UNICEF Eminent Advocate for Children. But Her Royal Highness has never shied away from difficult topics. The conference, which Her Royal Highness called a sort of “international reunion” for survivors of sexual violence in conflict, brought together 50 survivors from 22 countries with academic experts, NGOs, and politicians.Įnding rape as a weapon of war is not the kind of campaign one might expect a grand duchess to undertake. Take Action: Tell World Leaders to Redouble Their Efforts by Amending Laws to Prevent Sexual Violence That’s exactly why the Grand Duchess hosted “ Stand Speak Rise Up!” in Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg, this week to raise awareness and call for action to end the use of rape as a weapon of war. “The problem is not becoming less it’s getting worse,” she said. “People don’t want to hear about it because it’s difficult - and I agree, it’s very difficult to hear - but we cannot turn away,” the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Maria Teresa, told Global Citizen.

In these conflicts, and many others around the world and throughout history, rape and sexual violence have been used as weapons of war to demean, control, and degrade women and their communities.

You can take action here to call on world leaders to prevent sexual violence.įrom Myanmar to Yemen to South Sudan, a war has been - and in some cases is still being - waged against the bodies of women and girls. The Grand Duchess of Luxembourg and Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege are drawing attention to the urgent need to prevent the use of rape as a weapon in fragile contexts. In armed conflicts around the world, sexual violence is used as a weapon of war against girls and women.

For their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict murad