Safety and education for women most important part of Afghan peace talks: Malala

The priority of all political leaders involved in the Afghanistan peace talks should be to push for the safety, education rights and political rights of women, says education activist Malala Yousafzai.

Malala has started a digital newsletter, Assembly, to give women and girls a platform and a voice of their own.

The newsletter covers a vast range of topics from recycling, social norms, structural racism to mental health and climate change.

She wants people to hear the stories of women and girls who are fighting against these problems.

Talking to CNN, Malala said it had been an incredible experience for her and their readers to read the stories of some incredible women and girls.

Talking more about the Afghan peace process, she said she is aware that every country involved has their own interest, but what should be prioritised are the interests of the Afghan people who have been suffering for years.

She spoke about her initiative and said women and girls are not just talking about the problems they face, but also how they are fighting against them.

Malala has been a prominent activist for female education since 2013. Her activism first started against the Taliban's ban on female education in her home district of Swat, Pakistan.

Read more: In gatherings of mostly men, Malala says she always knew her voice mattered

Before she became a household name, Malala was a blogger for BBC Urdu: considered the first platform where she voiced her opinions.

The noble Laurette winner said she was fortunate to have the opportunity to share her story at age 11.

“Oftentimes, we hear stories from girls about the issues they are facing but that content is very limited and is often told to us by adults. We do not hear the voices of young girls, we do not hear directly from them and we also do not hear much about how they are fighting against these problems.”

She emphasized the importance of the many girls fighting against the problems in their society without having their voices heard.

Malala believes their voices need to be heard. Through Assembly, she hopes to give a voice to such women and girls.

“I hope it [Assembly] allows all girls to share their stories and to tell the world how they are fighters for a positive change in the world.”

Assembly has received stories from around 100 countries in 22 languages till now. The digital publication is available on Instagram.