From Iqbal Masih to Malala: 9 child activists you should know about
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Loading... - Anika Amble
- 29 Jun 2022
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From child labour activist, Iqbal Masih to the youngest Nobel Prize Laureate, Malala Yousafzai, many youngsters, time and again, have spoken out against climate change, child slavery or nuclear war. Whether the adults who wield power are willing to listen and act is another matter.
Here are some young activists you should know about:
Iqbal Masih
Pakistani Iqbal Masih became a debt slave in a carpet factory aged 5. Set free when he was 10, he helped other child slaves escape, becoming a symbol of struggle against child labor. He was killed aged 12. Here his mother and sister demand for the arrest of his murderer. In 2009, the US Congress named an annual award after him that is given to activists fighting to end child labor.
Malala Yousafzai
At 17, Malala Yousafzai became the youngest Nobel Prize laureate for her humanitarian efforts. She made global headlines after being shot by the Taliban in Pakistan on her way to school because she was an advocate for women's education. Here she is seen distributing copies of her book "I am Malala" to female Syrian refugees at the opening of an all-girls' school in Lebanon.
Greta Thunberg
She is probably the most famous face of present-day environmentalism: Greta Thunberg's solitary Friday strikes outside the Swedish parliament in 2018 gave birth to a global movement that has seen young people skip school Fridays to demonstrate for more decisive climate action by their respective governments. Here she holds her iconic placard: "School Strike for Climate."
Bana el Abed
"I need peace": Those three words made up Bana el Abed's first tweet on September 24, 2016. Just 7 years old then, Bana documented her life in war-torn Syria, drawing attention to the atrocities happening there. Bana has been urging world leaders to act in ensuring peace in Syria ever since. Her Twitter account now has 278,000 followers and is managed with the help of her mother. Read More...
