Girl child education right crusader, Malala Yousafzai on Friday emerged as the Nobel Peace Prize winner for this year.
The 17-year-old Pakistani Miss Yousafzai bagged the prestigious peace prize alongside India’s Kailash Satyarthi for their work promoting children’s rights.
“The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2014 is to be awarded to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education,” the jury said.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee who gave the award noted that peaceful global development can only come about if children and the young are respected.
Malala is the youngest person to be awarded the globally prestigious annual prize.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif while congratulating Malala Yousafzai on winning the Nobel Peace Prize, described her as the “pride” of his country.
“She is (the) pride of Pakistan. She has made her countrymen proud. Her achievement is unparallelled and unequalled. Girls and boys of the world should take the lead from her struggle and commitment,” he said in a statement.
Malala Yousafzai, was in Nigeria earlier this year to drum support for campaign for the abducted Chibok school girls who are till now in the custody of the Boko Haram Islamist insurgents.
Malala who survived being shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012 — was recognised for fighting for years for the right of girls to education, showing by example that children can contribute to improving their own situations.
According to the Committee, “This she has done under the most dangerous circumstances.
“Through her heroic struggle she has become a leading spokesperson for girls’ rights to education.”
Satyarthi on the other hand is said have been recognized for his work having headed various forms of protests and demonstrations, all peaceful, focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain.
“Children must go to school and not be financially exploited,” the committee remarked of Satyathi.
“In conflict-ridden areas in particular, the violation of children leads to the continuation of violence from generation to generation.”
