Malala Yousafzai, a 15-year-old Pakistani girl, had been secretly blogging for the BBC since the age of 11, describing the struggles faced by girls receiving an education under the Taliban. In 2012, Taliban militia, on finding out her real name, boarded her school bus, asked for Malala and when they found her, they shot her in the face at point blank range.
Malala was rushed to hospital where surgeons removed the bullet and was subsequently flown to the UK where she was fitted with a titanium plate and cochlear implant.
However, despite this serious attack, Malala has not given up on her cause, the importance of education. On July 12th, her 16th birthday, she addressed the UN about the issue.
Malala stated: “One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world. They thought that the bullets would silence us. But they failed. And then, out of that silence came, thousands of voices….We will continue our journey to our destination of peace and education for everyone. No one can stop us. We will speak for our rights and we will bring change through our voice. ……Our words can change the world.”
Dear fellows, today I am focusing on women’s rights and girls’ education because they are suffering the most. There was a time when women social activists asked men to stand up for their rights. But, this time, we will do it by ourselves. I am not telling men to step away from speaking for women’s rights rather I am focusing on women to be independent to fight for themselves.”
The young activist has now lent her support to “Raise Your Hand” for girl’s education, the goal of which is to get 1 million raised hands by October and call on the UN to take action.
Many have confirmed their support for Malala including Angelina Jolie, who is stated that the world can learn a lot from Malala.
The inspirational 16-year-old finished with this statement: “I stand here, one girl among many, I speak not for myself, but for all the girls and boys. I raise up my voice- not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard.”
