On 9 October 2012 the Taliban shot the 15-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl and activist Malala Yousafzai in her head and neck. She survived the attack and was brought to London where she underwent an operation and is now recovering. Malala is the symbol of Pakistani girls who would love to attend school but are prevented from doing so by the Taliban. What are the rights of girls and can they receive an education? Was Malala an incident? Or is she a symbol of the suppression of women in the region? What role does the Taliban play in the rural areas of northwest Pakistan? What has happened to our noble aspirations?
About the speakers
Suzanna Koster is a freelance journalist who works in Pakistan and Turkey for the broadcasting corporations EO and BNR and for Global Post newspaper. Shaista Aziz is a British-Pakistani freelance journalist. She has worked as a correspondent in Pakistan for the BBC and Al Jaazera. Floortje Klijn works as Afghanistan policy and campaign officer for Oxfam Novib. Lennart Booij is the regular moderator of Behind the News. He has also presented the television programmes Lagerhuis and Krachtstroom.