'Strength and Hope in the Darkest of Times'

As the Taliban bans women from training as nurses and midwives, BJ Sadiq reports on the young activist bringing hope to the women and girls of Afghanistan.

17-year-old activist Nila Ibrahimi during the presentation of the International Children's Peace Prize 2024 in Amsterdam. Photo: ANP/Alamy

Just before the Taliban announced that women would no longer be allowed to train as nurses and midwives, 17-year-old Nila Ibrahimi, an Afghan native living in Canada, was awarded the distinguished KidsRights Prize for being an ardent advocate for women's rights in Afghanistan. Ibrahimi, who narrowly escaped the country after the Taliban regained power, joins an illustrious set of past laureates, including environmental activist Greta Thunberg and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai. The International Children's Peace Prize, presented by the KidsRights Foundation, recognizes young individuals who have made significant contributions to human rights and social justice.

Nila Ibrahimi won the prize for her work as co-founder and President of HerStory, a website that offers both a platform and a safe space where Afghan women and girls can share their stories, as well as find educational opportunities and practical support via webinars and workshops with experienced speakers offering guidance. HerStory’s stated mission is to “advocate for and elevate Afghan women by raising awareness of their achievements and challenges, dismantling stereotypes, and providing essential support to empower their success.”

‘Winning the International Children's Peace Prize will mean that the voices of Afghan women and girls will echo across the world,’ Ibrahimi said. Her aim is to remind her own generation, in her adopted home, Canada, and around the globe, that teenage girls in Afghanistan are the same as teenage girls anywhere: “I want to make them as real as possible so that other people, especially young people, Gen Z specifically, can put themselves in their shoes,” she told the BBC last week.