Dr Denis Mukwege, the man who defends women, is awarded the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought. His work on behalf of rape victims is once again praised.
Chirac Foundation Prize for Conflict Prevention in 2013, Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2014… Nobel in 2015? This year, the European Parliament unanimously decided to welcome the action of Dr Denis Mukwege in favor of women victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). A job that earned him the nickname “the man who repairs women.” “
40,000 women operated on
Denis Mukwege’s fight began in 1999, when he founded the Panzi hospital, located in Kivu, a region in eastern DRC. He quickly specialized in welcoming and caring for women and children who were victims of sexual violence. Since the establishment of the structure, some 40,000 women including 165 girls have been treated. His hospital not only repairs the bodies of these patients, it also takes care of their minds.
Within the structure, which now houses a center where rape victims live, everyone benefits from psychological care and can learn a trade in order to eventually return to society. Dr Guy-Bernard Cadière, Belgian digestive surgeon and friend of Dr Mukwege, recounted his experience in Frequency M Weekly, a web radio for doctors.
Watch the testimony of Dr. Guy-Bernard Cadière:
Crimes not recognized enough
Despite attempted murder, Dr Denis Mukwege continues to treat women and campaign against atrocities committed in the DRC. The doctor also intervenes with the largest: UN, governments… He pleads for rape and its consequences to be considered as crimes of the same order as the use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. According to Dr. Guy-Bernard Cadière, they are not sufficiently recognized.
Watch the testimony of Dr. Guy-Bernard Cadière:
If Dr Mukwege’s fight is not yet paying off in the DRC, his action is increasingly recognized. In 2008, the United Nations awarded him the Human Rights Prize. The following year, France made him a Knight of the Legion of Honor. Since then, the prices have multiplied, as has its fame.
He also recounts this fight in a poignant book, co-signed with Guy-Bernard Cadière, Panzi.
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