Malala

“ Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.” – United Nations Human Rights

Malala is a passionate promoter of everyone being allowed an education. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 26 is being breached when someone is denied this right. Read through the Article and identify where educational rights are being breached with regards to Malala’s story.

Article 26.I Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

Article 26.II Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. Article 26.III Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Malala was born July 12 th 1997 in Mingora, Pakistan. She lived with her parents who later had two sons. For the first few years of her life, her hometown remained a popular tourist spot that was known for its summer festivals. However, the area began to change as the Taliban tried to take control.

In the area Malala lived, known as the Swat Valley, the Taliban, at times, banned girls from attending school. Malala spoke out for the right of children, of girls in a place where some people believe that girls should not go to school. She attended a school that her father had founded. After the Taliban began attacking girls' schools in Swat, Malala gave a speech in Peshawar, Pakistan, in September The title of her talk was, "How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?"

In 2009, Malala begin to write a blog under a different name. She wrote about life under the Taliban rule and shared her views on promoting education for girls. As a result of the World Wide Web, she gained interest from all around the world. Malala began to rise in prominence and gave interviews. She took on the role of chairperson of the District Child Assembly Swat.

Her father ran a number of schools in the region, was also a keen education activist. Malala continued to share her views regarding education rights for girls. She won Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize. Later in 2011, at the age of 14, she was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize.

On the 9 th October 2012, aged 15, Malala was shot by the Taliban whilst returning home on the school bus. Malala was immediately airlifted to Pesawar where they removed the bullet from near her spinal cord. She was later taken to a hospital in London for further treatment. In the days after the attack, she was in a critical condition but later her she began to make a good recovery.

Gunmen halted the van ferrying Malala Yousafzai through her native Swat Valley, one of the most conservative regions in Pakistan. They demanded that other girls in the vehicle identify her. Malala had faced frequent death threats in the past. Some of the girls pointed her out. At least one gunman opened fire, wounding three girls. Two suffered non-life-threatening injuries, but bullets struck Malala in the head and neck. The bus driver hit the gas. The assailants got away. Malala was left in critical condition. An uncle described her as having excruciating pain and being unable to stop moving her arms and legs.

On the day of the attack, spokesperson for the Pakistani Taliban, Ehsanullah Ehsan, confirmed to international media that they attacked her because “she [was] anti-Taliban and secular”, adding that she “would not be spared. She was pro-West, she [was] speaking against Taliban and she [was] calling President Obama her idol […]She [was] young but she [was] promoting Western culture in Pashtun areas”,he said. He reiterated the threats to kill her if she survives the attack.

Malala’s Courage over-talibans-shooting-of-malala-yousafzai.html?hp

Even as Malala was recovering from her ordeal, she continued to speak fearlessly for girls’ education and speaking against the oppressive Taliban. Politicians around the world demanded that all children worldwide be in school by the end of 2015.

The shooting resulted in a massive outpouring of support for Yousafzai, which continued during her recovery. She gave a speech at the United Nations on her 16th birthday, in She has also written an autobiography, I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, which was released in October 2013.

“Malala Yousafzai is a very global symbol of every girl’s right to an education” Ban Ki-moon (UN Secretary General )

Malala was awarded the International Peace Prize of Malala said, having been awarded the prize, “My message to children all around the world is that they should stand up for their rights.”