Nearly 1,000 schools have been destroyed by the Taliban in Pakistan, depriving thousands of school children of an education. Malala Yousafzai lives in the Swat Valley of Pakistan, which in 2008 was controlled by the Taliban. She became a victim of the Taliban’s antagonism towards education for girls. But she defied the Taliban and with great courage and determination took a stand for the rights of girls to an education. Malala Yousafzai campaigns for equal access to education for boys and girls in Pakistan because she believes in gender equality. She has pushed her cause by blogging for the BBC, becoming chair of the District Child Assembly of Swat (DCA) and becoming the poster child for a United Nations petition on the subject.
Malala has used various media to raise awareness of the plight of girls in Pakistan and campaign for gender equality in education. Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, was a fiery education rights campaigner in his day and encouraged his daughter to take up his cause. He instigated his daughter’s involvement with the BBC blog, from which she would gain recognition.
Feryal Ali Gauhar, the Pakistan’s McGill-educated former UN ambassador, described Malala and her blog as “The lone voice in that wilderness; hers was the voice which made us consider that indeed, there can be alternatives, and there can be resistance to all forms of tyranny... Her diary, published on the BBC Urdu service website, testifies to the fact that all is not lost, that there are still amongst us those who can stare the enemy in the eye and resist the brute force with which all things rational and sane have been threatened.” (Express Tribune)
The blog was an international platform from which she could raise awareness of her cause. For every person that saw the blog, the issues that Malala was talking about rose in prominence in their mind as she wrote about it. Every time she wrote on her blog, she fostered awareness of the issues she and her classmates faced. Through her blog she inspired those around her and around the world, to believe that maybe change could occur in the Swat Valley. In 2009, when the Pakistani military expelled the Taliban from the Swat area, Malala felt safe to reveal herself publicly. Film was the next medium used by Malala to further her cause. She publicly campaigned on Pakistani television for women’s rights. A New York Times documentary profiled her and her views on the situation in the Swat Valley. “I just want to have an education and be a doctor,” said Malala, 11 years old at the time of the NYT documentary. Malala used these media opportunities to take a stand against what the Taliban stood for and had done to her. The documentary presented an opportunity to talk to people outside Pakistan, reaching minds she might not have touched through her Urdu blog. Her presence on domestic television let those who might not have known about the horrible things going on within her country have a chance to learn. Malala’s involvement with the blog and her other campaign work led her to be invited to become a member of the District Child Assembly of Swat
Malala became chair of the District Child Assembly of Swat to foster awareness for and address the problems faced by children in the Swat Valley today. The DCA is an organisation set up by the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF). It is composed entirely of school children from around the Swat region. The purpose of the assembly was to address issues faced by children in the Swat valley.
“Thousands of schoolchildren are without schools and it is “disappointing” to see that the government is not taking keen interest in this sector,”said a member of the assembly. (Report on Assembly)
The assembly is being used to bring media attention to little known issues. The press can cover what the assembly is doing, making more people aware of what’s going on in the Swat area, especially to children. By having children as part of the assembly, they can provide first hand evidence to make it easier to address the problems they face. Having children express their views on issues, that affect them personally, can lend validity to their claims. Children articulating their perspective on serious issues and significant issues is unusual to say the least, this may attract greater media attention.
“The objective of the assembly is to create awareness among the children regarding their rights and to prepare them for the better future of the country,” said Farman, a member of UNICEF. (Report on Assembly)
By informing children of their rights Malala and the members of the DCA are providing other children with knowledge that could equip them in their fight against the Taliban. This knowledge can let kids know that their current circumstances are not the norm. Their situation is not what it is supposed to be. This gives kids something to fight and stand up for. By doing this, the Assembly is enabling children to try to address the issues they face, themselves. Malala’s role in all this demonstrates the impact a single individual can have. While her message had a positive benefits for many, it also had negative consequences for Malala herself. The action Malala was taking against the Taliban had infuriated them, they were being bad-mouthed by a teenage girl. They decided to do something about it.
After she was shot in the neck and head by the Taliban, international awareness of Malala increased exponentially, leading to more light being shed on her cause and on her. On the 9th of October 2012, members of the Taliban militia boarded a bus on which Mala was travelling. After asking who she was, they shot her several times. Miraculously Malala survived, and is currently in hospital after being airlifted to the UK.
Reza Sayah, CNN’s correspondent in Pakistan, described Malala as “A 14 year old human rights activist whose legend grows by the day... Much of this nation, much of this world is keeping a close eye on Malala’s health as well.” (CNN Youtube Channel)
Before she was shot, Malala had a blog in Urdu, and a short documentary had been made about her. After she was shot, her story of how she stood in the face of the Taliban, demanding education for herself and her classmates, went worldwide. People were talking about her and her cause. This raised awareness to a level Malala never could have dreamed of. The atrocities committed by the Taliban came into were highlighted; rights the rest of the world took for granted were being taken away from little girls. Malala being shot raised awareness to the extent that thousands of people around the world knew what was going on in the Swat valley.
After she was shot by Taliban militants, Malala’s status rapidly increased, and she became a well-known figure around the world. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown championed the proposal for her to be the poster child for a petition on children’s rights, as well as for making November 10th, “Malala Day.”
“Malala Day, one month after Malala was left for dead by Taliban assassins, is an opportunity for people everywhere to come together to support the cause that Malala so valiantly represents: a girl's right to education,” Gordon Brown stated. Gordon Brown HuffPost Blog
As a result of the UN’s and Gordon Brown’s efforts to push Malala’s name, over one million people worldwide have signed the I Am Malala petition. The petition calls for Pakistan to lay out a plan to put girls in school, and for countries the world over to stop discriminating against girls. Plan International, an NGO centred on helping children, is moving to increase the amount of work it puts into placing girls in school.
“I don’t mind if I have to sit on the ground when I’m at school. All I want is an education. I am afraid of no-one.” said Malala.
Malala isn’t afraid of anyone, she campaigns tirelessly for her cause despite the opposition she faces. She’s blogged for the BBC, been on television and in documentaries, chaired assemblies and been shot. But her work means that a personal tragedy for one girl may yet inspire an education for millions more.
