At 16, Malala Yousafzai has done what many human rights campaigners can only dream of. She’s cut through the jargon, the muddled rhetoric and unfortunate bureaucracy that can, sadly, so often be associated with a ‘good cause’, and managed to get people everywhere talking about one of the biggest issues facing young girls worldwide: their right to education.
Malala may not have won a Nobel Peace Prize this morning, but does it really matter? The OPCW, the body overseeing destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons gained the coveted prize in Oslo on Friday, disappointing many who believed Yousafzai was a firm favourite to win. But Yousafzai doesn’t need a prize to confirm her as a heroine. Yousafzai is already an inspiration for millions of children who would relish the chance to go to school.
It is fitting that today, the same day as the Twittersphere and the world celebrates Yousafzai’s achievements despite her not winning the Peace Prize, is the United Nations Day of the Girl. The second such day in its history, Day of the Girl is aimed at raising awareness of the very issues Yousafzai has so bravely promoted. As Plan International, a charity aiming to get four million more girls in education around the world continues its work, Malala couldn’t be more of a perfect poster child for it.
Now a Birmingham schoolgirl herself, like any other pupil, she will have worries about homework, about settling into the new term (can you imagine being one of her classmates?). But Yousafzai has brought to life some of the cold, hard facts about the plight of developing countries’ girls that the Western world has become hardened to, even ignores.These include the denial of basic rights to girls, and the “invisibility” of girls in the global development agenda. Violence in schools, early marriage, pregnancy and housework continue to constitute significant barriers to girls’ education around the world. Every year, 10 million girls are forced or coerced to marry. One in three girls in the developing world is married by the age of 18. Over 150 million girls are raped by the age of 18.
All over the world poverty and discrimination continue to have a detrimental effect on girls’ attendance in school. Globally, one in five girls of lower secondary school age is out of school. But this is not just a ‘women’s issue’. An increase of only 1 per cent in girls secondary education would add 0.3% to a country’s GDP.
The fact Yousafzai is now living among us, in the UK, is pertinent. We, the West, cannot ignore her cause anymore.
That it took a bullet to her head for many people to start listening is shaming. But equally, the way Yousafzai has conducted herself since being shot is truly inspirational. She could have cowered away, hidden from the world — but she has come out stronger. And the way she has come out — leaving famous chat show hosts speechless and the like – is incredible.
What’s next?
The big question is what happens now? Malala has got the world to focus on girls’ rights to education. More and more ordinary people, with their own fears and concerns, are talking about an issue which is usually dismissed as something happening in ‘far flung’ countries. But now that Yousafzai is among us in the UK, her presence will surely help and encourage more and more people to actually ACT. But how?
Yousafzai’s already said she wants to be the future prime minister of Pakistan, following in the footsteps of her role model late Benazir Bhutto. Through politics, she hopes she can change the entire country.
But let’s hope the West also learns from her and puts her to ‘good use’. She is a future world leader, no doubt. Her skills at getting a message across and inspiring change cannot be wasted. Big things are ahead.
So we mustn’t be sad or disappointed that Malala didn’t win the Nobel Peace Prize. She is the new voice of her generation and has a lifetime of achievements ahead of her.
This story was first published at The Telegraph’s Wonder Women section. It is republished here with permission.