Malala Yousafzai, a prominent advocate for girls’ education, has called upon the UK’s new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, to prioritize addressing the issue of girls’ education deprivation in Afghanistan and other affected regions as part of his foreign policy, according to a report by Khaama Press. Yousafzai tweeted on Monday, July 8, urging Starmer to make girls’ education rights a top priority in Britain’s foreign policy and development plans over the next 100 days. She emphasized the critical importance of ensuring education rights for all, especially for those denied under the Taliban’s gender apartheid in Afghanistan.
Addressing Starmer directly, Yousafzai highlighted that girls worldwide are looking to him for solidarity and proactive initiatives in this regard. She stressed the urgency of placing girls’ education at the forefront of Starmer’s foreign policy agenda in the coming months.
In Afghanistan, girls above the sixth grade have been unable to attend school under Taliban rule, citing unsuitable conditions without providing a timeline for school reopenings. Starmer’s Labour Party, now holding a significant majority in the UK Parliament following recent elections, has reversed previous policies, including the Conservative government’s decision to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, a move affecting Afghan refugees negatively, as reported by Khaama Press.
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Yousafzai’s plea underscores the global imperative for attention and action to uphold girls’ education rights, particularly in regions affected by extremist regimes like the Taliban in Afghanistan. Starmer’s government faces substantial international expectations to lead on this issue, reflecting broader global concerns regarding human rights and gender equality in education, according to Khaama Press.
Malala Yousafzai, born on July 12, 1997, is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate in history, receiving the honor at the age of 17 in 2014. She is the second Pakistani and the only Pashtun to have been awarded the Nobel Prize. Yousafzai’s advocacy began in her native Swat Valley, where the Pakistani Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school, evolving into a global movement for the rights of women and children. Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has described her as Pakistan’s “most prominent citizen.”