Activist Honored for Work with Survivors of Wartime Sexual Violence

In July, human rights activist and Nobel Peace laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege was the recipient of the highest honor Lions Clubs International bestows. The gynecologist who fights on behalf of survivors of wartime sexual violence was honored at the 102nd international convention in Milan with the Humanitarian Award. He dedicated the award to the victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and to all women who have been victims of sexual violence in conflict zones around the world.

When war broke out shortly after opening a hospital for gynecological and obstetric care, Mukwege and his team began seeing thousands of women and girls brutalized by wartime sexual violence. His team developed a particularly effective, holistic model of healing that integrates psychological support, legal assistance, and socio-economic support in one medical facility.

“We can’t just treat the finger or the ear,” Mukwege explains. “We have to see the person as an entire whole.”

His foundation will receive the hefty US$250,000 prize so that they can continue the good work they are already doing.