Meet Nila
Nila Ibrahimi is a fearless advocate for the rights of girls in Afghanistan. She discovered the power of her voice amidst the Kabul Education Directorate’s discriminatory decision to ban schoolgirls from singing in public. Refusing to be silenced, Nila spearheaded a singing movement by recording herself singing a powerful protest song online. Her viral singing video in Afghanistan inspired thousands of girls to assert their rights and stand up against discrimination. Nila’s fearless vocal activism forced the then government of Afghanistan to repeal the discriminatory decision within 3 weeks.
Nila’s life changed dramatically when she was 14 as the Taliban took over Afghanistan. She fled with her family to Pakistan before moving to Canada. Since then, Nila has been actively advocating to safeguard the rights of girls from Afghanistan.
Nila advocates with various essential stakeholders in the fight for equal access to education for Afghan women and girls. She has been the voice of Afghan girls at various events, including at the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, the UK House of Lords, Canadian Women for Women of Afghanistan Montreal Summit and TED Vancouver.
Nila co-founded “Her Story”, an initiative to provide a safe platform for Afghan girls to share their stories. Through Her Story, Nila highlights the potential and resilience of Afghan girls, both inside and outside of Afghanistan. She is fighting for the education rights of all Afghan girls and women who are losing out on valuable schooling due to the discriminatory ban on their education.
Nila’s message to the world is: “There are millions of girls who have been displaced along with those in Afghanistan who have no access to resources or education, yet they persist in their struggles. They have not given up. This resilience is what I want to highlight about Afghan girls — it’s what deserves support, appreciation, and attention.”
Read our factsheet to learn more about Gender Discrimination and Violation of Children’s Rights.
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