Pakistani teenage activist Malala Yousafzai is to receive the prestigious award for moral courage today (30th January 2014) in London. The 16-year-old, who was shot by the Taliban in 2012, will be honoured with the Anne Frank Award at a ceremony in London.
Malala is one of the most remarkable people we have encountered.
Malala, who campaigns for girls’ access to education, is studying for her A-levels and cannot attend the event. Her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, will accept the award on her behalf. It will be presented by the actress Naomie Harris, who recently starred as Winnie Mandela in the film “Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom”.
Co-founder of the Anne Frank Trust UK, Gillian Walnes said: “Malala is one of the most remarkable people we have encountered, both as a teenager and an educator, and is as inspirational a figure as Anne Frank.”
Malala was seriously injured when she was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in north-western Pakistan. She was targeted because of her campaign for girls’ education. The schoolgirl was treated in a Pakistani hospital before being transferred to the UK for surgery and rehabilitation at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
