Nobel Prize winner Nadia Murad visits the Flemish Parliament

Flemish Minister-President Geert Bourgeois received Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad at the Flemish Parliament on Monday morning. He also announced the release of 250,000 euros for the reconstruction of the Yazidi region in Iraq and for the fight against sexual abuse.

Nadia Murad was kidnapped by Islamic State (IS) in 2014 at the age of 21 and used as a sex slave. After her escape, she was recognised as a human rights activist who symbolises all oppressed peoples and victims of war worldwide.

In 2015, Nadia Murad gave a heart-wrenching testimony during the United Nations Security Council’s very first hearing on human trafficking. In 2016, she was named the first UN Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking. She has received various renowned prizes, and in 2018 became the first Iraqi and Yazidi to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, together with Congolese human rights activist Denis Mukwege.

Deep respect

“I have deep respect for the tireless efforts that Nadia Murad makes in order to fight against the cruelties of IS and to work for the release of the still thousands of Yazidis held captive. With her NGO, ‘Nadia’s Initiative’, she devotes herself to promoting the reconstruction of the Sinjar region in Iraq and focuses on the fight against sexual abuse across the whole world. The Flemish government is releasing 250,000 euros in support of these goals,” says Minister-President Geert Bourgeois.

Defence of human rights

The subsidy released is targeted at two specific goals. Firstly, there is the fight against sexual violence. Secondly, there is the reconstruction of the homeland of the Yazidi community.

“An integrated approach regarding humanitarian assistance, together with the defence of human rights, are the topmost priorities in this Flemish government’s foreign policy. In this respect, attention is not only being paid to urgent help at the moment of acute need. It is also being paid to prevention, emergency aid and rehabilitation,” says Minister-President Geert Bourgeois.

Flemish support

The decision is part of a wider Flemish concern about developments in the Middle East. In recent years, the Minister-President has made several visits to the region around Iraqi Kurdistan, Iran and the Palestinian regions. He has supported various humanitarian programmes and emergency aid projects, among others those of Red Cross Flanders, Caritas, the UN World Food Programme, the UN Human Rights Office, and the UN Refugee Agency for interventions in Iraq and Syria, and the reception of refugees in Lebanon, Iraqi Kurdistan, Jordan and Turkey.