Towering teenager: Civil society, students rally behind Malala, her mission
Multiple peaceful protests call for societal, state support for causes she championed.
ISLAMABAD:
Establish an education foundation and promote education particularly for children who are involved in child domestic labour. Nothing less would suffice as the right sort of response to the terrorist attack on the young activist Malala Yousafzai, now struggling for life on a hospital bed.
This was the message of scores of human rights activists, academicians, students and members of civil society, who took to streets on Friday to condemn the attack on the teenage girl from Swat. They vowed to support her mission to ensure education for girls in Pakistan.
Child Rights Movement Pakistan held a peaceful protest against the attack on Malala and her friends. Members of civil society, academia and human rights activists participated in the walk, which started from Islamabad Press Club and culminated at Constitutional Avenue. “All federal and provincial governments should immediately introduce legislation to implement Article 25-A on the right to free and compulsory education for children from ages 5 to 16,” demanded the participants of the walk.
The inspirational 14-year-old Malala has given a wakeup call to the Pakistani state and society. We should rethink our priorities towards child rights in general and the right to education in particular, added the speakers.
“It is high time for the federal and provincial governments to look at the issue of gender disparity in education, particularly in Fata and other backwards areas of the country,” urged a participant, Lateef.
The members of CRM urged the government to establish a focal body to monitor the implementation of child rights standards in Pakistan. Being party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), it is our constitutional and international obligation to save young heroes like Malala from danger, he added.
They drew the government’s attention towards the Child Protection (Criminal Law Amendment) Bill 2009, which has still to be passed.
In another peaceful protest, Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) and Child Rights Clubs jointly condemned attack on Malala’s life. “This brutal act of violence reflects the desperate state of mind of extremist elements who feel threatened by the bravery and resolve of a 14-year-old girl who refused to bow down before their atrocities,” said a statement released by SPARC.
It would be true to say that by raising her voice for her right to education and for every child’s right to education, Malala Yousufzai has become an icon of child rights in Pakistan. The assassination attempt represents an attack on a symbol of a progressive Pakistan that stands for peace, tolerance and the rights of women and girls, the statement added.
The participants called for an immediate inquiry into the matter and strict government action to bring the perpetrators of the heinous crime to justice.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 13th, 2012.
Establish an education foundation and promote education particularly for children who are involved in child domestic labour. Nothing less would suffice as the right sort of response to the terrorist attack on the young activist Malala Yousafzai, now struggling for life on a hospital bed.
This was the message of scores of human rights activists, academicians, students and members of civil society, who took to streets on Friday to condemn the attack on the teenage girl from Swat. They vowed to support her mission to ensure education for girls in Pakistan.
Child Rights Movement Pakistan held a peaceful protest against the attack on Malala and her friends. Members of civil society, academia and human rights activists participated in the walk, which started from Islamabad Press Club and culminated at Constitutional Avenue. “All federal and provincial governments should immediately introduce legislation to implement Article 25-A on the right to free and compulsory education for children from ages 5 to 16,” demanded the participants of the walk.
The inspirational 14-year-old Malala has given a wakeup call to the Pakistani state and society. We should rethink our priorities towards child rights in general and the right to education in particular, added the speakers.
“It is high time for the federal and provincial governments to look at the issue of gender disparity in education, particularly in Fata and other backwards areas of the country,” urged a participant, Lateef.
The members of CRM urged the government to establish a focal body to monitor the implementation of child rights standards in Pakistan. Being party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), it is our constitutional and international obligation to save young heroes like Malala from danger, he added.
They drew the government’s attention towards the Child Protection (Criminal Law Amendment) Bill 2009, which has still to be passed.
In another peaceful protest, Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) and Child Rights Clubs jointly condemned attack on Malala’s life. “This brutal act of violence reflects the desperate state of mind of extremist elements who feel threatened by the bravery and resolve of a 14-year-old girl who refused to bow down before their atrocities,” said a statement released by SPARC.
It would be true to say that by raising her voice for her right to education and for every child’s right to education, Malala Yousufzai has become an icon of child rights in Pakistan. The assassination attempt represents an attack on a symbol of a progressive Pakistan that stands for peace, tolerance and the rights of women and girls, the statement added.
The participants called for an immediate inquiry into the matter and strict government action to bring the perpetrators of the heinous crime to justice.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 13th, 2012.