Malala Yousafzai - Yongest Woman Activist

Malala Yousafzai  - Yongest Woman Activist of Pakistan

Malala Yousafzai, a 15-year old girl from Pakistan, is an inspiration to anyone advocating for girls' education around the world. On October 9, 2012, Malala suffered a terrible tragedy when she was shot in the head by the Taliban for being such a strong advocate for girls' rights. As she recovers, Malala continues to be a leader who reminds us of why education is a fundamental right that all girls and children deserve. 

Malala Yousafzai, the educational campaigner from Swat Valley, Pakistan, came to public attention by writing for BBC Urdu about life under the Taliban. Using the pen name Gul Makai, she often spoke about her family's fight for girls' education in her community. In October 2012, Malala was targeted by the Taliban and shot in the head as she was returning from school on a bus. She miraculously survived and continues her campaign for education. When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. On Tuesday 9 October 2012, she almost paid the ultimate price. When she was shot in the head at point blank range while riding the bus home from school, few expected her to survive. Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in Northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest ever nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize.

I AM MALALA is a tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, and of Malala's parents' fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons. It will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world. Co-author Christina Lamb is one of the world's leading foreign correspondents. She has reported on Pakistan and Afghanistan since 1987.
The UN education and cultural agency UNESCO and Save the Children released the study ahead of Friday's first public appearance at the United Nations by Malala Yousafzai, who returned to school in March after medical treatment in Britain for injuries she suffered in the October attack.

She will address more than 500 young leaders from around the world at a Youth Assembly organised by General Assembly President Vuk Jeremic and U.N. special envoy for global education Gordon Brown, the former British prime minister.

The U.N. has declared July 12 -- her 16th birthday -- as "Malala Day.''

According to the report, the number of children of primary school age who are not getting an education has fallen from 60 million in 2008 to 57 million in 2011, but during that period the percentage of youth in conflict-affected countries who aren't at primary school rose from 42 percent to 50 percent, UNESCO said.

Save The Children said the report shows that in 2012 there were more than 3,600 documented attacks on education, including violence, torture and intimidation against children and teachers resulting in death or grave injuries, as well as the shelling and bombing of schools and the recruitment of school-aged children by armed groups.

Since the start of the Syria conflict more than two years ago, 3,900 schools have been destroyed, damaged or are occupied for non-educational purposes, the report says.

The report, called "Children Battling To Go To School,'' found that 95 percent of the 28.5 million children who aren't getting a primary school education live in low and lower-middle income countries -- 44 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa, 19 percent in south and west Asia and 14 percent in the Arab states, UNESCO said.