Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai was once a victim of a Taliban attack
in which she was shot point-blank in the head and neck.
The shooting was meant to silence, once and for all, the
outspoken Pakistani teenager who had dared to defy
the Taliban's ban against girls in school. But it backfired:
Instead of silencing the 15-year-old, the attack only
made her voice more powerful.
Malala
Yousafzai
Malala was riding home in a van with some of her schoolmates when masked men stopped the vehicle and
demanded to know which one of them was Malala. When Malala was identified, the men opened fire on her
and two other girls, both of whom also survived their injuries.
Malala's story has raised global awareness of girls' education, a cause she has championed for years.
Worldwide, there are 66 million girls out of school, according to UNESCO -- many more than boys, who don't
have to face the same discrimination and obstacles that girls do in some countries. After hearing of Malala's
shooting, however, more people have become aware of the disparity and joined her fight. Three million
people across the world signed the "I am Malala" petition to demand universal girls' education.
22 | W H O ' S W H O 2013
