I was sitting on a bus going scrolling through my social media to see an unusual trend on twitter. With the little information I had, I found it difficult to decipher what was going on until I looked further into the story:
A young girl, stands up for education, gets shot in the head on her way to school by the Taliban.
Once I'd figured out the aforementioned, that's when I noticed that quickly this news was spreading like wildfire.
Surprised and outraged by this news, I started to dig for more research. People get shot often around the world, and news like this didn't shock me to my core initially. However, despite frequent desensitisation by this type content of current media, this was an article that particularly struck my heart; namely, because she was a young, innocent girl who was retaliated for standing up for her right to an education.
My morning continued and I noticed my local cafe displayed a newspaper with a sub-title informing me that inside its pages held more details on the status of this brave, young woman. I read through the article and decided to really keep an eye on where this story led as Malala started her journey to recovery as her family went to the U.K. to escape Pakistan.
Later, as the years went on, I did what I could to keep a track on the story and made sure to purchase her book as soon as it was released.
As her story grew more and more on an international scale, she spent some time on national TV following her respite care from the wounds she recieved:
"Nothing can stop me in this mission and in this campaign of education - that girls deserve the right to go to school."
Since then, she won a Noble Peace Prize but only found out as her teacher told her during a chemistry lesson - as she describes in the interview with Ellen.
Following on from that to a few weeks ago today, Malala returned to Pakistan for the first time since the incident in 2012 which you can read more about here.
Despite Malala's incredibly inspiring story, there is still a fight being fought - that being the right for girls to receive an education. History has told many tales of young girls not having the access to an education but the times are changing.
Having grown up as a girl in the education system in New Zealand, I feel extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to receive education and be encouraged to pursue higher goals such as completing a PhD. Following Malala's story to this day has not only motivated me to value and pursue my education more but to be educated about human rights and to make sure I also speak up for those who do not have the basic right to an education.
With more people becoming aware and advocating for Human Rights around the world - there is a stir in the waters and we are slowly but surely creating change and peace for the betterment of humanity.
If you'd like to read other posts I've written about Human Rights, please see the following articles about the story of Ms. Ju-In Gu who was recently murdered for her choice in religion:
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