WATCH ABOVE: Posing with her friends, Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai spoke about the importance of educating young women and girls around the world
TORONTO – Malala Yousafzai is set to pick up her Nobel Peace Prize on Wednesday and the youngest ever Nobel laureate will be accompanied by her two friends who were also shot by the Taliban for having the audacity to demand an education.The two teenage girls, Shazia Ramzan, 16, and Kainat Riaz, 17, suffered severe wounds in the October 2012 Taliban attack in Pakistan that almost killed Malala, who was shot in the head.They, along with Kainat Soomro from Pakistan, Mezon Almellehan from Syria and Amina Yusuf from Nigeria joined Malala for a press conference in Norway ahead of tomorrow’s medal ceremony.READ MORE: Malala Yousafzai donates Nobel peace money to rebuild school in Gaza“We six are standing here for the rights of every girl and we want girls to come out and speak up for their rights and to believe in themselves,” Malala told reporters. “If they really want to see change, if they want to see equal rights for women, and the opportunity of education for girls then they have to step forward.”Ramzan and Riaz echoed Malala’s statement saying that the world needs to make sure young girls have safe access to education.“When you are educated, you are able to do everything,” Riaz said. “If you are not educated, you can’t do anything.”Malala, 17, shares this year’s peace prize with Indian activist Kailash Satyarthi, 60, who has spent more than three decades fighting to free thousands of children from slave labour.Visitors to the Nobel Peace centre in Oslo can also view a powerful reminder of the incident that brought Malala into the international spotlight. The bloodied uniform the then 15-year-old Malala was wearing in 2012 when a Taliban gunman shot her on a school bus is on display in a glass case.
A Nobel Peace Center worker poses for photographs beside the blood stained school uniform joint Nobel Peace prize winner Malala Yousafzai was wearing when she was shot by the Taliban.
(AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
The exhibition will last for roughly two months before the uniform is returned to the schoolgirl’s family.Malala said although she will be the one receiving the Nobel Prize Wednesday, she said the award is also for her “sisters” in their campaign for children’s education.“Though I will be one girl receiving this award, I know I am not a lone voice,” Malala said Monday. “These courageous girls are not just my friends, they are now my sisters in our campaign for education for every child.”*With files from the Associated Press
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