Press Release: Graduation of Nobel Peace Laureate Nadia Murad
Human rights activist and recipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, Nadia Murad, has graduated from American University in Washington D.C.
She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology after completing a 4-year degree course alongside her advocacy and development work.
Nadia was the first person in her family to attend high school in her homeland of Sinjar, Iraq. However, her education was disrupted by the invasion of ISIS and the subsequent genocide of her Yazidi community.
After escaping captivity and sexual slavery in 2014, Nadia was determined to finish her education and today is the culmination of that dream.
Nadia Murad: "Today is incredibly emotional for me because the people who sent me to school - my mother and brothers are not here to see this. I started high school with a big group of friends in my village of Kocho. All of them were passionate about learning and education, but few of them survived the genocide. They don't get to have this moment. ISIS took so much that was dear to me, my family, my friends, and my homeland. I will never get that back. However, my education is something they could never take from me and I will use my degree to help my humanitarian work. Education provides hope and opportunity. I am living proof of that."
Nadia hopes that by gaining a degree, she can inspire other survivors and refugees to continue their education.
Nadia Murad: "The ability to learn is not confined to one country or one classroom. It crosses borders and boundaries. Those of us who have had the privilege of a good education should never stop using it to make the world a better place."
NOTES TO EDITORS
Human rights activist and recipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, Nadia Murad is a leading advocate for survivors of genocide and sexual violence. Her New York Times bestselling memoir, The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State, is a harrowing account of the genocide against the Yazidi ethno-religious minority in Iraq and Nadia’s imprisonment by the so-called Islamic State (ISIS).
Nadia’s rural life was brutally disrupted in 2014 when ISIS attacked her homeland in Sinjar with the goal of ethnically cleansing all Yazidis from Iraq. She was forced to watch her mother and brothers marched off to their deaths, before enduring the horror of captivity, torture and sexual enslavement.
Like many minority groups, the Yazidis have carried the weight of historical persecution. Women, in particular, have suffered greatly as victims of sexual violence. After escaping captivity, Nadia began speaking out on behalf of her community and survivors of sexual violence worldwide.
Much of Nadia’s advocacy work is focused on meeting with global leaders to raise awareness of the genocide against the Yazidi people and the systemic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Nadia is the President and Chairwoman of Nadia’s Initiative, which actively works to persuade governments and international organizations to support the sustainable re-development of the Yazidi homeland, as well as survivors of sexual violence globally.
In 2016, Nadia became the first UNODC Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking. That year, she was also awarded the Council of Europe Václav Havel Award for Human Rights and Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. In 2018, she won the Nobel Peace Prize with Dr. Denis Mukwege. Together, they founded the Global Survivors Fund. In 2019, Nadia was appointed as a UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocate.
For more information please contact press@nadiasinitiative.org
