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

Malala Yousafzai.
(Image credit: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

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.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.