Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist who works for girls’ education and children’s rights. She was born on July 12, 1997, in Mingora in the Swat Valley of Pakistan. As a teenager, she spoke openly against the ban on girls’ education imposed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also called the Pakistani Taliban. She became known around the world after she survived an assassination attempt when she was 15 years old. In 2014, Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to protect children’s rights.
Childhood and Early Activism
Malala is the daughter of Ziauddin Yousafzai, who is a social activist and educator. She was a very good student in school. Her father started and managed the Khushal Girls High School and College in Mingora, and Malala studied there. Her father strongly supported education and encouraged Malala to speak about social issues and follow the same path of activism.
Taliban Control in Swat Valley
In 2007, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) invaded the Swat Valley, which had earlier been a famous vacation destination. The group was led by Maulana Fazlullah. The Taliban introduced strict Islamic laws in the region. Many girls’ schools were destroyed or closed, and women were not allowed to take active roles in society. The group also carried out several suicide bombings. Because of the violence, Malala and her family left the area for safety, but they later returned when the violence temporarily reduced.
First Public Speech
On September 1, 2008, when Malala was 11 years old, her father took her to a press club in Peshawar to protest against the closing of schools. There, she gave her first public speech titled “How Dare the Taliban Take Away My Basic Right to Education?” The speech received wide attention across Pakistan.
BBC Blog and School Closures
In late 2008, the Taliban announced that all girls’ schools in Swat would be closed by January 15, 2009. The BBC asked Malala’s father if someone could write about life under Taliban rule. Malala agreed to do this. She wrote for BBC Urdu using the pseudonym “Gul Makai.”
From January to early March 2009, she wrote 35 blog posts describing her daily life and the problems students faced. These blog entries were later translated into English. During this time, the Taliban shut down all girls’ schools in Swat, and more than 100 schools were destroyed by explosions.
Media Attention and Documentary Work
In February 2009, Malala appeared on television for the first time. She was interviewed by journalist Hamid Mir on the current affairs programme Capital Talk. Around the same time, the Taliban announced a temporary cease-fire and allowed girls to go to school if they wore burkas. However, the violence returned in May 2009, and Malala’s family had to leave the Swat Valley again. Later, the Pakistani army removed the Taliban from the area.
In early 2009, Adam Ellick, a reporter from The New York Times, worked with Malala to produce a documentary called Class Dismissed. It was about 13 minutes long and showed how schools were being closed. Another documentary called A Schoolgirl’s Odyssey was also produced. Both films were published on The New York Times website in 2009. During that summer, Malala met Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy, and asked him to help protect girls’ education in Pakistan.
Recognition and Awards Before the Attack
By December 2009, Malala’s identity as the BBC blogger became publicly known, and she started receiving international recognition. In October 2011, she was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize by Desmond Tutu. In December 2011, she received Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize, which was later renamed the National Malala Peace Prize in her honour.
Shooting and Global Reaction
On October 9, 2012, Malala was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman while she was returning home from school. The attacker was connected to the TTP, and the group led by Fazlullah claimed responsibility. Malala survived the attack. She was first treated in Peshawar and later flown to Birmingham, England, where she underwent surgery. The attack created worldwide anger and protests supporting girls’ education.
UN Response and Education Initiatives
After the attack, Gordon Brown, the UN Special Envoy for Global Education, supported Malala’s cause. He launched a petition demanding that all children in the world should return to school by 2015. This campaign helped lead to Pakistan’s first Right to Education bill.
In December 2012, Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari announced a 10-million-dollar education fund in Malala’s honour. The Malala Fund was also created by the Vital Voices Global Partnership to support girls’ education around the world.
Recovery and Continued Activism
Malala recovered in Birmingham, England, and continued both her education and activism. On July 12, 2013, which was her 16th birthday, she gave a speech at the United Nations in front of about 500 people.
In 2013, she received the UN Human Rights Prize, which is awarded once every five years. She was also listed among Time magazine’s most influential people in 2013 and appeared on one of its seven covers.
Books and Major Awards
Malala co-wrote her autobiography I Am Malala (2013) with journalist Christina Lamb. She later wrote Malala’s Magic Pencil (2017).
In 2014, she became the youngest person to receive the Liberty Medal, which is awarded by the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. She had already been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013, and in 2014 she won the prize together with Kailash Satyarthi, becoming the youngest Nobel Prize winner.
Later Life and Education
After receiving the Nobel Prize, Malala continued her studies in England. She graduated from the University of Oxford in 2020. She continued her work for human rights and education around the world.
In July 2015, she opened a school in Lebanon for Syrian refugee girls, with support from the Malala Fund. She also wrote the book We Are Displaced (2019) about the experiences of refugees.
Documentaries and Legacy
Malala’s life story was shown in the documentary He Named Me Malala (2015). The title refers to Malalai of Maiwand, an Afghan heroine who led Afghan fighters against the British during the Battle of Maiwand in 1880.
WORKS CITED
Yousafzai, Malala, and Christina Lamb. I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. Little, Brown and Company, 2013.
“Malala Yousafzai – Biographical.” NobelPrize.org, Nobel Prize Outreach AB.
Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan is a teacher, bilingual writer and artist with over two decades of experience in teaching English language and literature. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of English at NSS College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Her blog, ashlit.in brings together academic resources, creative writing in Malayalam and English, and visual art. The platform features lecture notes, study materials, poems, reflections, short prose, and a curated collection of her paintings. Through this space, she seeks to foster learning, creativity, and meaningful engagement with literature and the arts.
Discover more from ashlit.in
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Comment on “Malala Yousafzai : Nobel Peace Prize Laureate’s Journey”