Girls’ rights activist wins top global prize

IN a global vote, millions of children have chosen Malala Yousafzai Malik as their World’s Children’s Prize (WCP) Decade Child Rights Hero in her fight for all girls to have the right to an education and freedom.

When she was just 15, Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban, who wanted to silence her. Instead, her campaign for equal rights for girls became even stronger.

The Malala Fund now supports local activists in Pakistan, Syria, Nigeria and other parts of the world where girls are severely affected by injustices and violations of their rights.

“I was honoured to receive the WCP in 2014, and then today to have this title as Decade Child Rights

Hero added is a huge honour. I hope that it will give me more motivation to continue my activism for girls’ education.

“I have this mission to see all girls receiving safe, quality and free education. Right now all over the world there are 127 million girls who don’t have access to school. These girls have dreams, just like us,” said Malala.

The presentation of the Decade Child Rights Hero award at Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred, Sweden, has been delayed for two years due to the many school closures around the world during the pandemic.

The ceremony was led by children from 12 countries. All jury children have experienced violations of their rights, including trafficking, child marriage and the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

They were assisted during the ceremony by Sweden’s Queen Silvia.

South African youngsters performed, during the ceremony, including singer Yanga Sobetwa, a previous winner of

It is the second time children around the world have chosen a WCP Decade Child Rights Hero from among all those recognised in the World’s Children’s Prize over the past decade.

In 2010, the children chose Nelson Mandela and Graça Machel as Decade Child Rights Heroes.

Malala was one of eight candidates nominated in the global vote for the Decade Child Rights Hero. All eight are previous recipients of the World’s Children’s Prize, often referred to as the “children’s Nobel Prize” by media around the world.

The candidates have been fighting for the rights of vulnerable children for a combined total of over 200 years. They give hope and a better life to child soldiers, trafficked children, children who experience discrimination because they are differently abled, and girls who are survivors of the commercial sexual exploitation of children, forced into child marriage or to quit school.

The Swedish World’s Children’s Prize Foundation’s (WCPF) patrons include Queen Silvia, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, Graça Machel, several Nobel laureates and former Swedish children’s ministers and prime ministers.

WCPF is supported by the Swedish Postcode Lottery, Sida and ForumCiv, Queen Silvia’s foundation Care About the Children, Survé Philanthropies, Sparbanksstiftelsen Rekarne and several family funds.