Malala Yousafzai urges world leaders to ensure the futures of Afghan girls 'are not lost'


With the Taliban now in control of Afghanistan, Malala Yousafzai is urging world leaders to "take bold stances for the protection of women and girls, for the protection of minority groups, and for peace and stability in that region."
During an interview Monday with BBC News, Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist and Nobel peace laureate, called the images showing people trying to flee from Afghanistan by holding onto military planes "shocking" and proof that "this is actually an urgent humanitarian crisis right now." Every country has a "role and responsibility" to open their borders to Afghan refugees, Yousafzai said, and she has sent a letter to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, asking him to welcome displaced people.
When the Taliban previously ruled Afghanistan, women were banned from attending schools, could not go out unless covered by a burqa and accompanied by a male relative, and were not allowed to hold most jobs. In 2012, a Taliban gunman shot Yousafzai, then 15, in the head because of her campaign to educate girls in Pakistan's Swat Valley. She told BBC News the world cannot move backwards, and it's important the countries that let in Afghan refugees ensure children have access to education and "that their futures are not lost."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Trump halts Gaza visas as Israelis protest war
Speed Read Laura Loomer voiced her concerns over injured Palestinian kids being brought to the US for treatment and a potential 'Islamic invasion'
-
Kabul braces for a waterless future
THE EXPLAINER A confluence of manmade and environmental factors makes the Afghan city the first modern capital to risk running out of groundwater
-
Russia tries Ukraine land grab before Trump summit
Speed Read The incursion may be part of Putin's efforts to boost his bargaining position
-
US, China extend trade war truce for 90 days
Speed Read The triple-digit tariff threat is postponed for another three months
-
Europe counters Putin ahead of Trump summit
Speed Read President Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week for Ukraine peace talks
-
Israeli security cabinet OKs Gaza City takeover
Speed Read Netanyahu approved a proposal for Israeli Defense Forces to take over the largest population center in the Gaza Strip
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
Thailand, Cambodia agree to ceasefire in border fight
Speed Read At least 38 people were killed and more than 300,000 displaced in the recent violence