Ok, so technically, she’s not a celebrity in the Hollywood sense, but Nadia Murad is so jaw-droppingly inspiring, we have to talk about her. She’s the young Iraqi human rights activist who was sold as a sex slave to ISIS fighters at just 19, managed to escape and has since dedicated her life to fighting sex trafficking. She recently became a Nobel Peace winner which includes prize money of $500,000 and she’s donating ALL of it – yep 100% – to fight trafficking and genocide.
At 25, Nadia Murad is the second youngest person to receive the prestigious prize (Malala Yousafzai was the first). Can you imagine what you would’ve done with half a million dollars at that age?
The money is all going to Nadia’s Initiative, the organisation the young activist started to help rebuild communities in need, especially those affected by genocide and human trafficking.
The Initiative is currently focused on the Sinjar region of Iraq where Nadia grew up. The place where her mother and 6 brothers were among the thousands of Yazidis killed by ISIS – and where Nadia became one of 6,500 women taken into slavery. The place where, even years after being liberated, is in ruins because of war.
“After the Islamic State genocide beginning in 2014, countless lives were lost. Many are still unaccounted for and about 3,000 women and children remain in captivity,” Nadia said in a statement earlier this week. “My survival comes with great purpose to defend the rights of persecuted communities in the Middle East and in the world, and to advocate for the victims of sexual violence.”
You can watch some of her speech below:
