Getty ImagesWhen Nira Ibrahimi set out to build a website to tell the stories of Afghan girls, it wasn’t just to make their voices heard.
A 17-year-old Afghan refugee, she reminds her fellow Gen Zers in her adopted homeland of Canada that they are similar: They are just like other teenage girls around the world. I decided to remind myself that I was listening to a Taylor Swift song.
“We want to make it as real as possible so other people, especially young people, especially Gen Z, can put themselves in their shoes,” she told the BBC.
Nila gave an interview to the BBC earlier this week before highlighting the International Children’s Peace Prize, which was previously won by education activist Malala Yousafzai and climate activist Greta Thunberg.
EPAIn Nila’s case, it’s probably not an easy task. For young people living in Canada, the plight of women and girls in Afghanistan feels like a world away. Three years ago, Nira fled her home country and found a home after the Taliban seized power.
Meanwhile, the Taliban has banned the education of teenage girls, prohibited women from traveling long distances without a male escort, and now orders them to mute their voices in public, effectively killing half of the population. is silent.
The Taliban had previously defended the verdict to the BBC, claiming it was in line with religious texts.
“The differences[between Afghanistan and Canada]are so great that it’s hard to feel connected,” Nila admits.
That’s why she helped found HerStory. HerStory is a place where she and others help share the stories of Afghan women and girls, in their own words, nationally and internationally.
“Often we get lost in our differences and lose sight of our similarities. Our goal is to show the world that.”
Nira Ibrahim has been selected as the 20th recipient of this prestigious award out of 165 nominees.
The award recognized not only her work with HerStory, but also her passion for standing up for women’s rights in Afghanistan.
Nila first spoke out for women’s rights in March 2021, when she joined other Afghan girls to share a video of her song online.
It was a small but powerful protest against a decree by the then education secretary in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, that sought to ban girls over the age of 12 from singing in public. The attempted command was not executed.
“That’s when I really understood the importance of performing, of speaking out about these issues,” explains Nila, who was part of a group called Sound of Afghanistan.
But within six months, everything changes, and the 14-year-old is forced to flee with her family when the Taliban arrive.
The family, members of Afghanistan’s Hazara minority, made the arduous journey to Pakistan and spent a year there before being granted asylum in Canada.
She says it was a “breath of fresh air” after 12 months of no education.
There, Nila reunited with her friends from the singing group.
She was also invited to speak at an event about her experience in Afghanistan, where she was able to advocate for all marginalized girls.
She said people were amazed at her eloquence. But Nila knew that there were millions of women and girls in Afghanistan who were just as capable but didn’t have the same opportunities.
“So I thought, if my potential could surprise these people and they don’t know how well-educated Afghan girls are, what would happen if that information was accessible to them?” It was.”
Getty ImagesThe website HerStory was born from this idea in 2023. It features interviews and first-person testimonies from both refugees and women within Afghanistan.
The idea was for a group of people who “grew up hearing the stories of the first Taliban era and how horrible life was for women back then” to share their stories and their “shock and anger” at the Taliban. It’s about creating a safe place to share. I find myself in more and more similar situations.
Anger is an emotion that Nila tries to separate from work.
“Of course it’s scary to see Afghanistan going back to its past 20 years later,” she says.
“It’s a common feeling. It’s a common experience for girls everywhere.”
She says the award is an opportunity to once again remind the world of the constraints that Afghan girls face on a daily basis – a reminder that “Afghan girls must not be forgotten.” .
Mark Duraert, founder of the Kids Rights Foundation, which runs the award, said an “alarming” number of young women were currently being excluded from education.
“Nila’s inspiring work in giving them a voice to be heard around the world makes her a true recipient of this year’s 20th International Peace Prize,” he added.
Nila hopes this is also a reminder that her generation can make a difference while they’re still young.
“When we talk about problems and different causes, we often talk about it in a very adult-like approach and think, oh, this is something very serious,” she says.
“The world is such a scary place, but there’s a more Gen Z approach…and we can take baby steps and…do whatever we can.”
