DHAKA: Teenage activist Malala Yousafzai, shot in the head by a Taliban militant last October after campaigning for girls’ right to education, has won the prestigious International Children’s Peace Prize.

KidsRights announced today, reports NDTV.

The Pakistani 16-year-old will receive the award from 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner and women’s rights campaigner Tawakkol Karman at a glittering ceremony in The Hague on September 6, the Amsterdam-based organisation said.

Malala ‘risked her life in the fight for access to education for girls all over the world’, KidsRights said in a statement.

‘By awarding the 2013 International Children`s Peace Prize... KidsRights shines the spotlight on a brave and talented child who has demonstrated special dedication to children`s rights,’ it added.

The passionate advocate for girls’ education was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman while on a school bus near her home in Pakistan’s Swat Valley last year.

She was given life-saving treatment in Britain where she now lives, but the attack galvanised her campaign for greater educational opportunities for girls.

BDST: 2038 HRS, AUG 27, 2013
RoR/RK