Janelle Saffin (Page, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to thank the honourable member for Casey for bringing this motion before the parliament so that all members, representing everyone, can speak in this House in a way that gives support to Malala Yousufzai, to this one girl, but also supports the rights of girls and women to education and to equality across the world. The honourable member for Casey just thanked the Norwegian parliamentarians for nominating Malala for the Nobel Peace Prize, and we can also do that as well as members of parliament, so that might be something that we can have a conversation about later. She would be a most worthy recipient.

It was on 9 October that Malala was shot by the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehrik-i-Taliban—the TTP, as they are called—while climbing onto a school bus. Can you imagine sending your daughter or your child off to school on a school bus and they are shot by some very, very extreme people? Pakistani media reported that two of Malala's classmates were also injured in the shooting, and I am not sure what happened to them but it would be good to find out.

Malala grew to prominence by writing an online diary on BBC Urdu about her time in the Swat Valley during Taliban rule in the area, which was late 2007 to mid-2009. I note that her father had also been involved in education activism as well, so obviously education was something that her family was committed to. Following the Taliban's displacement from the area, Malala continued to be an activist for education and youth rights in the Swat Valley and in Pakistan. As a result of her efforts, she was one of five nominees for the International Children's Peace Prize in 2011 and she also won the inaugural Pakistan National Peace Award in December 2011. After she was shot, she was medically evacuated to the United Kingdom for specialist treatment in Birmingham and her prognosis looked very grave indeed. I think that everybody has been heartened by and is so pleased to see her remarkable recovery.

On 2 February this year Malala successfully underwent major surgery, including a cranial reconstruction aimed at mending parts of her skull with a titanium plate as well as the placement of a cochlear implant designed to restore hearing on her left side. Her injuries were horrific. She will continue her rehabilitation at the family's new temporary home in Birmingham. I understand that her father is now working there and working in their consulate, and they have relocated there. He is education attache at the Pakistan consulate in Birmingham for a period of three years. That means that all of the family are together and they are able to look after each other.

The Pakistan Taliban, or the TTP, have claimed responsibility for the attack, with the spokesperson, Ehsanullah Ehsan, saying that Malala was pro-West, she was speaking against the Taliban and she was calling President Obama her idol. She was young, but she was promoting Western culture in Pashtun areas. Ehsan went on to say that the attack served as a warning to all youngsters involved in similar activities, and noted that Malala would be targeted again if she survived. The Pakistan Taliban have vowed to target her again. I did notice, in reading some of the commentary on the internet, that it seemed as though they had started to change what they were saying, but the fact is that they took responsibility—they did it. It is just unbelievable.

In a speech to mark the inaugural International Day of the Girl Child on Wednesday, 10 October last year, Prime Minister Julia Gillard expressed her shock at the attack and her admiration for Malala's activism and commitment to girls' rights in education. As I have said, we all expressed our shock. I have never seen anything draw such widespread condemnation so quickly and right across the globe. President Zardari has been reported in Pakistan media as saying that such attacks would not shape the resolve of Pakistan and that the nation would continue to fight against the militants, and that was welcome too. Also, the Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, has vowed to bring to justice the Taliban attackers behind Malala's shooting, saying, 'No matter where the terrorists may escape, we will bring them to justice.' But, despite reports of several arrests being made in connection with the attack, there is no evidence yet of those who actually committed the attack being brought to justice, and I know that is something that people will be watching quite closely.

Among the comments that were made worldwide was a statement by the White House on behalf of the President. There were also comments by the EU and the UK—already quoted here. The UN Secretary-General's United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, called for a global day of action on 10 November 2012 to support the goal of education for all children, and that became known as Malala Day. That was commemorated in over 100 countries. That was a way that all of us in the international community could join hands and give an expression of support for her and support for the right of girls, particularly, to have access to education freely and in a framework of not being seen as somehow deviant. For God's sake, it is unbelievable to think that someone would get shot for it in this day and age.

Malala has been the recipient of several international awards and accolades since the attack, including the Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women's Freedom and the Rome Prize for Peace and Humanitarian Action. Malala's plight is now regularly evoked in major international meetings, such as the recent World Economic Forum in Davos and meetings of the United Nations and specialised agencies. Indeed, at the moment we are talking in this place about Malala and what happened to her.

I will speak a little on how our government responded at the time. They obviously responded strongly and were appalled at what I call an attempted assassination of child activist Malala in western Pakistan. The government said at the time that they commended the Pakistan government for the financial support and assistance that they provided. I am sure that when she was taken to the UK they would have done everything they possibly could to provide care—and I am sure that they are doing that—and it was good to see that that happened immediately.

The right to an education is something that we take for granted here, so it is something on which we can all join together and say, 'That has to be the right worldwide.' Indeed, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights enshrines the right to education. We have to make sure that we can support that, as we do here, everywhere else.

I conclude by saying that Australia has long supported these rights and has provided education assistance for female students in some of Pakistan's most remote and marginalised communities. One of the important things that we can do with our ODA is to make sure that we spend it in a way that is going to provide those girls who are students with educational support. I would just like to say to Malala: good on her for what she has done for girls and for education. We wish her a speedy and wonderful recovery.

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