Gulalai Ismail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gulalai Ismail
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| ګلالۍ اسماعیل | |
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| Born | 30 October 1986 Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
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| Education | Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver Quaid-i-Azam University |
| Occupation | Human rights activist |
| Organization | Aware Girls Humanists International |
| Movement | Pashtun Tahafuz Movement |
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| Relatives | Saba Ismail (sister) |
| Family | Saba Ismail (sister) |
| Awards | International Humanist of the Year Award (2014) Commonwealth Youth Award for Asia (2015) Chirac Prize for Conflict Prevention (2016) Anna Politkovskaya Award (2017) |
Gulalai Ismail (Pashto: ګلالۍ اسماعیل; Urdu: گلالئی اسماعیل; born on October 30, 1986) is a brave Pakistani human rights activist. She comes from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Gulalai is the leader of an organization called Aware Girls. She is also a global ambassador for Humanists International. She is an important member of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM).
Gulalai travels around the world. She speaks about how to make peace and help women become stronger. She has won several important awards for her work. These include the International Humanist of the Year Award and the Anna Politkovskaya Award. In 2019, Gulalai had to leave Pakistan. She went to the United States because she was worried for her safety. This was after she spoke out against unfair actions. In March 2021, she became a global ambassador for Humanists International.
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Gulalai's Early Life and Activism
Gulalai Ismail was born into a Pashtun family in Swabi. From the age of nine, she grew up in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Her father, Muhammad Ismail, was a teacher and human rights activist. He taught her about fairness and women's rights from a young age. In 2012, she earned a Master of Philosophy degree in biotechnology. She studied at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad.
Starting Aware Girls
In 2002, when Gulalai was just 16 years old, she started an organization. It was called Aware Girls. She founded it with her 15-year-old sister, Saba Ismail. Their goal was to challenge violence and unfair treatment of women. This was especially important in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Gulalai wanted to bring people together who believed in peace. They discussed how to peacefully resist groups like the Pakistani Taliban. She also wanted to encourage more women to get involved in politics.
Aware Girls also looked into how difficult events affected children and families. Malala Yousafzai, who won the Nobel Prize, attended Aware Girls in 2011. Malala was shot by the Pakistani Taliban in 2012. This happened because she spoke up for female education.
In 2011, Gulalai explained why she started Aware Girls. She saw girls being treated differently from boys. She wanted to raise awareness that women have human rights. She taught leadership skills. She also showed girls how to talk with their families. This helped them get an education and control their own lives.
Expanding Her Work
Aware Girls began to teach about other important topics. These included preventing HIV/AIDS and access to safe health services. Gulalai continues to speak at international meetings. She promotes peace, understanding, and women's rights. Both Gulalai and her sister Saba have advised the United Nations. They also advised US government departments on peace and women's rights.
In 2013, Gulalai started the Marastyal Helpline. This service helps women who are at risk of violence. It also helps victims of violence. The helpline operates from Peshawar. It offers advice on legal and medical help. It also provides emergency ambulance information and emotional support. Gulalai has also spoken out against certain laws in Pakistan. She believes these laws make it hard for people to speak freely. She said, "I am convinced that without a fair democracy, we will not achieve peace in Pakistan."
Other Important Initiatives
Besides Aware Girls, Gulalai started the Seeds of Peace Network in 2010. This program trains young people in human rights. It also teaches them about political leadership. It encourages women to join politics in Pakistan. It also promotes understanding between people of different faiths. Seeds of Peace was created to help young people. It aimed to protect them from harmful influences in areas like Swabi District.
Gulalai's work focuses on promoting peace and diversity. She challenges extreme views and violence. She also works to improve good governance in areas affected by conflict. She provides education to young people. She also strengthens democracy and helps young women get involved in politics. Gulalai was part of the Young Humanists International from 2009 to 2011. She was also a Board Member of the Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights. She works with the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY). She is also a member of the Asian Democracy Network. Gulalai was on the board of Humanists International from 2017 to 2021. Now, she is their global ambassador.
Facing Challenges for Her Work
Aware Girls has had to hold meetings in secret. They meet in hotel rooms with guards. This is because they suspect they are being watched. Gulalai has been threatened and had to leave her home before. This was due to her activism. In May 2014, four armed men tried to enter her family home. They were looking for Gulalai. Luckily, she was not home. The men made threats and fired guns. Gulalai said she thought she would be attacked one day. But she never thought it would happen to her family. She did not know if the attackers were from certain groups or criminals. She said, "We cannot trust anyone." In an interview, she shared her fears. She said the threats show her work is making a big impact.
Challenges and Difficulties
Gulalai Ismail has faced many challenges because of her activism. She has been accused of serious things and detained.
False Accusations and Legal Battles
In November 2017, a person falsely accused Gulalai of a serious offense. This accusation could lead to severe punishment in Pakistan. Gulalai denied the accusation. In February 2018, she filed a legal case against her accuser. The accuser was then arrested. Gulalai said her legal action would help others falsely accused. She also said that the education system in Pakistan needed to change.
In August 2018, Gulalai gave a speech at a Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) event. This event remembered a historical event from 1948. After her speech, Gulalai and 18 other activists were accused of making "anti-state" comments.
In October 2018, Gulalai was stopped at Islamabad International Airport. Her passport was taken away. She was told she could not leave Pakistan. She was later released on bail. Her lawyers argued that this was against her basic human rights. It was found that an intelligence agency had put her name on a list. In November 2018, she was taken to the agency's headquarters. Gulalai said they threatened her father. They told him to make her stop speaking out. In March 2019, a court ordered her passport to be returned.
Speaking Out for Others
In January 2019, a video showed a young boy. He said his father and brother were arrested. His family was being bothered by security personnel. In January, Gulalai visited the boy's village. She went with other female activists. They wanted to show support for the boy's mother. They also wanted to talk to other women about similar incidents. Gulalai said that the mental health of women in tribal areas was suffering. She said they could not handle more conflict. Another activist added that many women cried and asked for help to find their missing sons.
In February 2019, Gulalai was arrested in Islamabad. This happened during a protest about the murder of an activist. She was held in a cold, dirty room. She was kept hungry and thirsty. Her arrest was criticized by many groups around the world.
In May 2019, Gulalai was protesting in Islamabad. This protest was about the tragic death of a young girl. The girl had been abducted and killed. During this protest, Gulalai faced another legal complaint. She was accused of speaking against state institutions. The girl's family said the police did not take the case seriously at first. Because of these protests, Gulalai was banned from traveling for 30 days. There was also an attempt to block her social media accounts.
Going into Hiding
After more events in May 2019, the government increased its actions against PTM. Many activists were arrested. Gulalai received threats and accusations. She decided to go into hiding. In June 2019, there were reports she was arrested. But her father said it was not confirmed. Police searched for her. But she managed to avoid capture and leave Pakistan.
Gulalai's family was watched for months. Their home was raided. Her friends were questioned to find her. In July 2019, many human rights organizations asked the United States Congress for help. They urged them to question Pakistani officials about Gulalai's situation. After four months in hiding, Gulalai found safety in New York, USA, in September 2019. She said that if she had been imprisoned, her voice would have been silenced.
After she went into hiding, Gulalai's parents faced legal issues. Their home was raided multiple times. Her father, Muhammad Ismail, was also accused of sharing "anti-state content" online. In January 2021, a judge told him to stop sharing such content. He said goodbye to his social media accounts. In February 2021, Muhammad Ismail was arrested again. Rights groups said this was part of a campaign against him. He was released on bail in April 2021. Gulalai said her father's health was fragile.
Awards and Recognition
Gulalai Ismail has received many awards for her important work.
- In 2009, she won the YouthActionNet Fellowship.
- In 2010, she received the Paragon Fellowship.
- The British High Commission in Islamabad recognized her as an Agent of Change.
- In 2013, she received the Democracy Award from the National Endowment for Democracy.
- Foreign Policy magazine named her one of the 100 Leading Global Thinkers of 2013.
- In August 2014, she won the International Humanist of the Year Award. This was given by Humanists International in England.
- In 2015, she received the Asia Region Commonwealth Youth Award. This was for her efforts to empower women.
- In 2016, her organization Aware Girls won the Fondation Chirac Peace Prize. The French president at the time presented the award to Gulalai.
- In 2017, Gulalai was a joint winner of the Anna Politkovskaya Award. This award recognized her work against religious extremism.
See also
- Malala Yousafzai
- Sanna Ejaz
- Bushra Gohar
- Asma Jahangir
- Fouzia Saeed
