Malālah Yūsafzay, is a Pakistani women education right activist.
In
2009, Taliban militants were taking over the town of Mingora in the Swat
District of Pakistan's northwestern province where 11-year-old Malala was
living.
She
is known for her excerpts on BBC blog criticizing Taliban destroying girls’
school and banning girls from attending school. Europe and US noticed her views
on promoting education for girls and activism for right of education for women.
Pakistani government awarded her the National Peace Award for Youth and Malala
kept making speeches about right of women, however, as she became more
recognized, her life was being threatened by Taliban.
On 9
October 2012, Malala boarded her school bus was terribly attacked by gun shot,
one bullet hit her forehead, two traveled into her neck and shoulder. As
Taliban amitted the assassination attempt, there rose huge national and
international criticism. Like a miracle, as if everyone’s pray worked, through
several times of long-hour operations, Malala fully recovered.
On
12 July 2013, Yousafzai's 16th birthday, she spoke at the UN to call for
worldwide access to education. Malala said “Let us pick up our books and pens.
They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one pen and one
book can change the world. Education is the only solution”, calling on
international society to guarantee every individual’s right to be educated.
UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named 12 July, Malala’s birthday ‘Malala Day’ and
promised that UN will give continuous effort to ensure all people’s right to be
educated. In Decmber, UNESCO established fund to guarantee educational of women
holing a senior-level event ‘Stand Up for Malala’ with Pakistan Government. United
Nations Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown launched a UN petition
demanding that all children worldwide be in school. Yousafzai was nominated for
the 2013 and 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. Although Malala was not awarded, she was
the youngest person to be nominated for Nobel Peace Prize. She is also the
recipient of the World Children's prize, the Sakharov Prize, 2013 International
Prize for Equality and Non-Discrimination, Amnesty International’s Ambassador
of Conscience Award.
Still there are 57milion children who are not
able to get elementary education all over the world, and it is harder for half
of them who are in conflict area to receive an education, because it is not a
priority than any other relief effort in troubled area.
Recently, terrorism and
slaughter has being done by Islamic armed-organization in Nigeria. About 280
middel school girls were kidnapped and they are in danger of human trafficking.
Malala requests international society to help them and aim to solve this
terrible situation through media and internet. Barak Obama and Michelle Obama
twitted the picture of them holding a paper saying “Bring back our girls”, and
milions of twitterians including politicians, entertainers and a number of
celebrities retwitted it to become a campaign.
As for girl who has just turned only 17 year old, I give her standing ovation. What is the
actual peace, freedom and right she is appealing to the world? What is our duty to make it
come true? We should think about the fact. We should see ourselves, and see what we are doing right now. Through this young girl, I believe we can easily see ourselves.
I hope for the peaceful world where there are no other Malala.
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