- Elizabeth Soteno,
Senior political science major
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – On Oct. 8, 14-year-old Malala Yousufzai boarded a school bus in the Swat Valley providence of Pakistan. Yousufzai, an advocate for girls’ education and outspoken critic of the Taliban, was sitting on the bus waiting to go home when she and two classmates were struck by a terrorist’s bullets.
Despite having two bullets lodged in her head and neck, Yousufzai survived and is currently being treated in Great Britain. She has reportedly made progress and is now standing on her own and walking. International outrage of the attack came instantly with the most powerful leaders in the world condemning the attack.
One of the leading and most outspoken critics of the attack is UNICEF, the United Nation’s Children Fund. “We strongly condemn the violent assault on Malala Yousafzai. Malala's message extends far beyond the borders of Pakistan, and her courageous voice speaks for millions of girls who are desperate to receive an education,” UNICEF said in an official statement following the attack.
Girls’ education is a leading issue that UNICEF seeks to improve all over the globe. According to UNICEF, there are currently an estimated 67 million elementary school-aged children not in school. Of these 67 million, most are young girls. In Pakistan, where the Taliban prevent many girls from going to school through threats and violence, one out of every five children in school is a girl. Yousafzai sought to change this by empowering girls.
Students and faculty on the ISU campus also condemned the attack while educating themselves on the global issue of girls’ education. Sophomore Jessica Orsini was disgusted by the shooting. However, she feels this has renewed the level of attention paid to this education issue. “I think she is extremely courageous for what she was trying to do, especially at 14 years old. If there were girls like Malala in every country where there are education needs for girls and they fought like she did, I feel that more countries would have to give girls the education they deserve,” Orsini said.
Senior political science major Elizabeth Soteno, who is also a peace studies minor, knows all too well the hurdles girls around the world face when trying to pursue an education. She is also an executive board member for the ISU chapter of UNICEF. “It’s something that you’d never hear about in the U.S. It’s sad to hear that in developing countries, a girl can get shot for wanting to go to school,” Soteno said.
One of UNICEF’s founding principles is what Soteno referred to as “believing in zero.” That is, believing zero girls should be denied education because of their gender. “This is where the empowerment of women comes in,” Soteno said. “Economic development and sustainable life starts with women.”
ISU political science professor Noha Shawki agrees with Soteno. Shawki, who specializes in international relations and human rights, believes the international community needs to take a harder stance on this issue. “One reason to promote girls’ education, and members of the international community should make this a priority, is the issue of equality. Everyone should have an equal opportunity to get an education,” Shawki said. “Beyond the basic issue of equality, there’s definitely a connection between a country’s level of development and educational attainment.”
There are many positive outcomes to countries as a result of gender equality, according to Shawki. “There’s definitely a connection between the education of women and issues like health outcomes within families, nutrition outcomes and reproductive health. It’s an issue of equality but it’s an issue of human development as well,” Shawki said.
Shawki was also shocked by the shooting of Yousafzai, but believes more people need to become cognizant of the constant threats to girls’ education. “I was dismayed obviously, but unfortunately I was aware that there is a lot of violence against people that promote girls’ education. The Malala case made international headlines but unfortunately other cases do not make headlines,” Shawki said. “I certainly hope this will bring increased attention and renewal to the international commitment to girls’ education.”
Soteno agrees that more people, especially college students, need to become aware of these issues and should become active in helping. “People say ‘yeah, there’s an organization out there, but someone else will contribute to it’ or ‘someone else will do all that work.’ Having [UNICEF] on a college campus, we have the opportunity to use our experience to go into a field like humanitarian work or international law,” Soteno said.
ISU UNICEF meets every other Monday in Schroeder Hall, room 238. Their next meeting is Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.