Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban, has criticized Nigerian and world leaders for not doing enough to free the hundreds of schoolgirls that were kidnapped over 300 days ago by Boko Haram.
The joint Nobel peace prize winner said much more would have been done to win their release had they come from a more privileged background. Malala said:
“Nigerian leaders and the international community can and must do much more to resolve this crisis and change their weak response to date.
If these girls were the children of politically or financially powerful parents, much more would be done to free them. But they come from an impoverished area of north-east Nigeria and sadly little has changed since they were kidnapped.
These young women risked everything to get an education that most of us take for granted. I will not forget my sisters. We cannot forget them. We must demand their freedom until they are reunited with the families and back in school, getting the education they so desperately desire.”
