Fighting For Girls' Education

“I think of it often and imagine the scene clearly. Even if they come to kill me, I will tell them what they are trying to do is wrong, that education is our basic right.”

-Malala Yousfzai


Why aren’t girls in schools? Women in many countries are seen as inferior or not worthy of an education. Pakistan is one of these countries; there’s even a rule established by the Taliban - a terrorist group - preventing girls from attending schools. Nothing had been done to solve this problem. People were terrified of this group because they would kill anyone who dared to defy them. Malala Yousfzai started to blog about this issue and soon she became a voice of defiance against this group. The Taliban felt threatened so they decided to act, they shot Malala and left her in critical condition. The Pakistani military has launched various operations against the group, but none of them have had a permanent outcome.

Malala had always wanted to be a doctor. She and her friends had always dreamed about one day being successful. Malala felt like a part of her was  being taken away by not receiving a proper education. She created a blog account to write about her feelings towards this injustice. Her posts were being read by many people all over the world and they raised awareness of the violation towards women’s right to an education. Her story became better known and people began writing about her. A New York Times documentary focusing on her life was released, many interviews followed, making Malala even more famous. She became the chairperson of the District Child Assembly Swat. Her fight for girls’ education was finally recognized as she was awarded several prizes including the International Children’s Peace Prize. She was aware of the danger she was in by defying the Taliban, but she could have never anticipated what was to come.


The Taliban began to demolish schools, once they heard rumors about Malala’s blogs. "Five more schools have been destroyed, one of them was near my house. I am quite surprised, because these schools were closed so why did they also need to be destroyed?" Malala continued to blog about the issue and kept on thinking about her education. The Taliban’s attacks became more severe and more corrupt rules were established. On October 9th, 2012 a Taliban man shot Malala as she rode the school bus. The bullet went through her head, neck, and ended in her shoulder. Other witnesses were wounded, but not as gravely as Malala. She was close to death, but she survived. She’s in critical condition and is slowly healing from this despicable attack. The Taliban people said she should take this as a warning for they intend on ‘finishing the job’. Malala was later transferred to a hospital in the UK where she’s rehabilitating. The question is...who will stop the Taliban now?


Very soon after the shooting, the Pakistani military launched another large operation against the Taliban. The attack seemed to have worked, due to the fact that it sent some of the group’s leaders flying to other neighbor districts. The Swat had finally settled peace...but not for long. The Taliban group slowly filtered back into the city, terrorizing civilians and bringing harm to the Swat. The group killed various people associated with the Pakistani government. There’s an ongoing battle between the government and the Taliban. A least, now they’re doing something about it. Malala’s blog is what spread the word about the Taliban’s actions. Her work can’t be in vain, the military needs a better strategy in order to permanently eliminate this horrible group and finally bring peace to Pakistan, because how do we know for sure they won’t come back?


Malala is a symbol of courage and admiration, she fought for what she considered important. “We found her to be very bold, and it inspired every one of us.” This shows how a tiny spark like a young girl posting on her blog can make a difference and start a revolution. Even after being shot, Malala is still fighting and so should we. We should finish what she started. It is necessary to finally destroy this group so Pakistan can finally live in peace and girls just like Malala can pursue their dreams and be successful...because that is worth fighting for.

Sources: Taliban gun down girl who spoke up for rights   /   Wikipedia: Malala