Worldcrunch
Updated July 12, 2024 at 11:35 a.m. Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist and Nobel laureate known for her advocacy of girls’ education and women’s rights was born on this day in 1997 in Mingora, Swat Valley, Pakistan. She gained international prominence after surviving an assassination attempt by the Taliban in 2012. How did the Taliban […]
MINGORA — At 13, Hadiqa Bashir is herself just a child, but she’s already working to save girls from child marriage in rural Pakistan. Though it’s illegal in Pakistan, marrying young children to much older men is still widely practiced in the Swat Valley. Visiting Hadiqa Bashir today is a young girl, Shabana, who is with her mother. A white gauze covers her nose, and she explains the horrific reason why. “My mother-in-law asked my husband to complete his job today and she left the house,” Shabana says. “I had my young son with me, and my husband asked his […]
MINGORA — Neelam Ibrar Chattan makes breakfast for her mother and younger brother, serving them and rushing out the door without eating anything. As the young woman leaves, her mother Mariam Bibi recites Koranic versus in the hope of protecting her. Her husband died of heart attack about 12 years ago. “I encouraged Neelam because it was her father’s dream to be a social worker,” Bibi says. “I want my daughter to play her role for the people of the area and also fulfill the dream of her father. I know people don’t like her going out of the house […]
Thursday, October 30, 2014 SWEDEN RECOGNIZES PALESTINE Sweden today became the first EU member in Western Europe to officially recognize Palestine, a month after the country’s prime minister announced intentions for the controversial move during his inaugural address. “It is an important step that confirms the Palestinians’ right to self-determination,” Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom […]