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“WOMEN’S BODIES HAVE BECOME A TRUE BATTLEFIELD” –
SAKHAROV LAUREATE, GYNECOLOGIST DENIS MUKWEGE OF CONGO
Dr.
Denis Mukwege of Congo during his acceptance speech
26 November 2014 -"Women's bodies have
become a true battlefield and rape is being used as a weapon of war," said
Congolese gynaecologist Denis Mukwege as he accepted the 2014 Sakharov Prize
for Freedom of Thought in Strasbourg on Wednesday 26 November 2014. Dr Mukwege
was honoured by the European Parliament for dedicating his life to helping thousands
of victims of gang rape and brutal sexual violence in the Democratic Republic
of Congo.
EP President Martin Schulz expressed his
admiration and deepest respect for Dr Mukwege's work as a medical doctor and
his campaign for women’s dignity and justice and peace in his country.
"The impunity for rape in armed conflicts is something that must be
brought to an end," said Schulz. "It needs to be punished just like
every other war crime."
Schulz also welcomed representatives from
the 2014 Sakharov Prize finalists present in the public: Ielyzaveta
Shchepetylnykova, fromthe Euromaidan movement in Ukraine, and Dinara
Yunus, the daughter of Leyla Yunus, founder of the Institute for Peace and
Democracy in Azerbaijan who is still incarcerated.
"Quest for peace, justice and
democracy"
In his acceptance speech, Dr Mukwege told MEPs that by awarding him the
Sakharov Prize they had drawn "the world´s attention to the need to
protect women during armed conflicts, you have refused to be indifferent to one
of the biggest humanitarian catastrophes of modern times."
However, he warned: "This prize won´t have any significance to the female
victims of sexual violence if you won't join us in our quest for peace, justice
and democracy." Dr Mukwege added: "Together - politicians, civil
society, citizens, men and women - we have to draw a red line against the use
of rape as a weapon of war."
Democratic Republic of Congo: "neither at peace, nor
at war"
"We have spent too much time and energy fixing the consequences of violence.
It is time to take care of the causes," said Dr Mukwege, calling on the EU
and its member states to use all instruments available to support resolving the
conflicts in the region.
"Justice should also be at the centre of the peace process and the fight
against impunity should be reinforced," he said, adding he empathised with
every victim. "In every raped woman, I see my wife. In every raped mother,
I see my mother and in every raped child, my own children.”
Denis Mukwege
Mukwege is an internationally-recognised expert in the treatment of
pathological and psycho-social damage caused by sexual violence. The
59-year-old gynaecologist founded the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu in 1998, when a
war took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where today he still treats
victims of sexual violence who have suffered serious injuries.
Sakharov Prize
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is awarded each year by the European
Parliament. It was set up in 1988 to honour individuals and organisations
defending human rights and fundamental freedoms. Last year the prize was
awarded to Malala Yousafzaï, the Pakistani campaigner for girls'
education. Laureates receive €50,000.
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