On October 9, Taliban militants shot the 14-year-old Pakistani girls’ education activist Malala Yousafzai in the head at point blank range. She miraculously survived the assault and is recovering at a hospital in the UK.
The vicious attack against an adolescent school girl has focused world’s attention on the plight of girls in Pakistan. Everyone from a prominent American hip-hop star to legions of ordinary Pakistanis have expressed outrage over the assault.
Dr. Nafis Sadik brings an important perspective to this conversation. She has been an advocate for girls’ education and health care in her native Pakistan for decades and has taken the cause internationally as a top ranking United Nations official. In the podcast below, Dr Sadik discusses how Pakistanis have reacted to the Malala shooting, identifies the forces that are still stifling the empowerment of girls, and gives advice for what the rest of the world can do to help. Have a listen.