Malala calls on world leaders to provide education for refugee children
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 14 September 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Malala calls on world leaders to provide education for refugee children, 14 September 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58189d8f1e.html [accessed 25 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
September 14, 2016
Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has called on world leaders to provide education to girls in refugee camps to help them avoid being forced into early marriage or child labor.
Malala's statement on September 13 came a week before the first United Nations summit on refugees in New York.
"Why do world leaders waste our time with this pageant of sympathy while they are unwilling to do the one thing that will change the future for millions of children?" she asked.
"They have the potential to help rebuild safe, peaceful, prosperous countries, but they can't do this without education."
The UN refugee agency estimates there are 21.3 million refugees worldwide, half of them children. Most are from Syria, Afghanistan, and Sudan.
Almost 80 percent of all refugee adolescents are out of school, with girls making up the majority, according to the Malala Fund.
Malala urged donors to provide $2.9 billion by September 2019 to correct the problem.
Malala, 19, survived a 2012 assassination attempt by the Taliban in Pakistan's Swat Valley and became the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2014 for her work promoting girls' education in Pakistan.
Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
