EP-voorzitter Schulz over de uitreiking van de Sacharovprijs aan Malala (en)

Commenting on the awarding of the 2013 Sakharov Prize, the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz stated:

“I’m very proud to award today, on behalf of the European Parliament, the 2013 Sakharov Prize to Malala Yousafzai. This awarding was attended by 21 former laureates or their representatives on the occasion of the 25th Sakharov Prize anniversary.

The Sakharov Prize is about tremendous courage and exceptional commitment for freedom of thought. Like other laureates of the Prize, Malala Yousafzai shows these qualities at an exceptional very young age.

She was only 11 years old when she started to speak up for the rights of children, and especially little girls, to go to school. She then continued her struggle with the strong support of her family not being stopped by death threats or physical attacks on her.

At only 16 years old, she is today the voice of millions of children and teens deprived from education.

Today 125 million children and teenagers - three quarters are girls- are denied access to education. More than 28.5 million cannot go to school because they live in areas ravaged by war.

Malala Yousafzai’s commitment reminds us that giving access to education and knowledge is the best investment a society can make in the fight against intolerance, isolation, violence and poverty.

Without schooling there is no hope for a better future. Without schooling there is no emancipation. Without schooling there is no freedom of thought.

On this special occasion which happily coincides with the World Children’s Day it is our duty and responsibility, as Members of the European Parliament, to ensure that access to high quality education is not a privilege, but a fundamental human right. This fundamental right must be defended and made available to any child, boy or girl, throughout the world as the European Manifesto issued today urges us to do."