Worldwide, 65 million girls never start school, 100 million do not complete primary education and more than 542 million are illiterate (Jamal, 2014). When a fifteen-year-old girl is shot by the Taliban on her way home from school, for standing up to the right for education to women, it’s obvious that some form of human rights has been violated. Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan’s Swat Valley was returning from exams with her classmates on the school bus when suddenly it was waved down. A man walked inside, asked for Malala, and shot her in the face with a gun. This event sparked an outcry from supporters and activist around the world bringing light to the issue. She, of course, survived being the fighter she is, andis now a world renown leader when it comes to education access for all girls. In 2014 she even became the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
With the society that exists and the view on women having negative connotations, did that make it harder for Malala and followers to have an impact? Should girls across the world have equal access to education as their male counterpart? In class, we have discussed varying forms of Human Rights documents and their conception. It was also discussed that there are still so many countries, so many groups of people still being excluded from the rights that one deserves just for being human. A popular book that focuses on education for women in Pakistan is “I Am Malala: The Girl Who Was Shot for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban” written by Malala herself.
In chapter 2, Malala recounts how General Zia took over Pakistan in 1977 and put forth his views on restricting the rights of Pakistani women. Born in a culture that has purposely limited the innate rights of women, Malala grew up speaking against the evil doings that the Taliban were committing on after gaining power. This terrorist group took over her hometown, controlled all the media, closed the schools, burned books, blew up buildings, and murdered those that resisted their political movement.
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Because her father was a school owner and because Malala was such an advocate for the right to education for all, they ended up becoming targets for the Taliban. She withstood the threats to continue speaking out against the ban against girls going to school. This is shown by her saying, “Then they told me about the call from home and that they were taking the threats seriously. I don’t know why, but hearing I was being targeted did not worry me. It seemed to me that everyone knows they will die one day. My feeling was nobody can stop death; it doesn’t matter if it comes from a Talib or cancer. So I should do whatever I want to do.” (Yousafzai, p. 224) It’s no wonder why the Taliban felt threatened by her advocacy.
When she is willing to die for this cause, at such a young age, imagine what she could do with more time. One of the most important Human Rights documents that was discussed in class, was the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 26 touches on education, which is the clearest example of a right being violated within Malala’s book. This article states three things, “Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory…”, “Shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the UN for the maintenance of peace.” And finally, “parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.”
The two first parts of Article 26 are violated in Pakistan. It’s as if the people in charge of the government read this article and decided to do the exact opposite. Everyone does not have the right, as it was decided when the Taliban took over. Girls schools were to be closed, in fact; some school were even blown up. The second part of article 26 was also violated as education was not directed towards the development of the human personality, the respect for human rights, the promotion of friendship among all racial and religious groups, or to further the UNs maintenance of peace.
Religious misunderstanding separated the Muslims between the radical extremist who believed in disempowerment of women and those that saw their importance in developing the country. Peace was always being disrupted by the ongoing violence. Nawab Ali, one of Malala’s school teachers, refused to teach to the female sector because the Taliban’s leader was such an advocate against them learning. Malala’s Father, on the other hand, continued to show efforts by becoming a leader in the movement against oppression. Fazlullah, the leader of the Taliban in the Swat Valley, wanted the citizens to become good Muslims, especially women who should stay home as housewives “according” to the Quran.
Eventually, Fazlullah becomes more extreme with his views and beliefs and began holding court sessions called shura. These resulted in unnecessary punishments like public embarrassment for people that committed small crimes. To an even greater degree, he even punished for the sacrifice of political persons and activists who went against him. Using his fear tactics, and the radio to appeal to the people of Pakistan, a wide audience was actually convinced that they were going against the Quran if they choose not to follow his lead. It’s weird to think political leaders in this part of the world could spread false religious sayings and acquire acceptance of the people hearing it. Maybe the views men had at that time made it easier for Fazlullah to believe women should not go to school. Malala spoke how the ordinariness of sexism in Pakistan makes it an even greater defeat to the girls in her country even worse. The socio-cultural hurdles facing females exists, especially in Pakistan.
There is a preference for sons for their leading and productive role in household life and parents prefer to invest more in a son’s education as their old age social security. Daughters are expected to get married early and become housewives. Parents do not prioritize education for girls due to low family household income and traveling afar issues like danger to personal security (Shaukat and William, 2017). Rural females are especially at odds, because of the ultra-conservative culture, and also pursuing an education would be at the cost of their family life. Initially, Pakistan was founded by Mohammad Ali Jinnah in 1947 who believed in gender equality and encouraged women to play active roles.
The alliance between the feudal and obscurantist forces though meant that gender inequalities and the denial of women’s rights were to be integrated into the political system (Khan, 2013). Dominance by the feudal sector and silence of the obscurantist ensured that women’s rights would not be a priority, and therefore, ensuring future generations of men believing women should not be educated. The gap in educations stems from decades of discriminatory education policies.
Individuals in power who have the inability to recognize women as equal and are brought up in a society where the norm is for women to be inferior are at fault. They are at fault for continuing this norm to the next generation, at fault for promoting violence against attempts to change this norm, and at fault for not moderating to today’s expectations of women. Pakistan’s Gender Equality Education Index (GEEI) is 0.20, one of the lowest in the world, and the lowest in South Asia. The United Nations recommends at least 4% of gross national product to be used for education in developing countries like Pakistan. In 1989 it was 1%, and in 2013 it improved to a mere 2% or half of the UN recommendation (Jamal, 2014). Corruption has even lessened the amount that actually goes towards education, with “ghost” or non-functional schools making up 7.7% of the public-sector school.
In conclusion, the issue causing this violation of human rights on women is both political and due to men’s existing perceptions. Policies and strategies are needed to give women a chance at equality. With participation in these strategies from men, they will see the costs of gender inequality and the benefits of gender equality. While advocacy is starting to reach the women in Pakistan and make an impact, there are still girls in rural communities such as Pashtun, where women are living under strict tribal codes. With time and continued support from popular advocates like Malala, more people in power will know that women’s human rights should not be violated, that it is beneficial for the country, and that it is the only way forward. Let Malala’s wish be heard, “Peace in every home, every street, every village, every country – this is my dream. Education for every boy and every girl in the world. To sit down on a chair and read my books with all my friends at school is my right. To see each and every human being with a smile of happiness is my wish.” (Yousafzai, p. 313)
