Malala Yousafzai, a 15-year-old girl from Pakistan, has a passion for education and women’s rights. However for the past couple years, the Taliban has blown up hundreds of schools for girls while boys’ schools have been untouched. Since 2009, Yousafzai has been challenging the Taliban through her speech and actions on improving educational rights for Pakistani women.

Yet on Oct. 9, 2012, the Taliban singled her out and shot her in the head and neck while she was waiting for a school bus. The bullet that hit her lodged close to her brain. Fortunately, she survived the attack, and because of her stand, she has shed hope in her country that equal education might someday be possible. She spoke up when no one else in her country had the courage.

Yousafzai was announced as one of the 259 nominees for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2013. She is the youngest person ever to be in the running.

Today is the 100th celebration of International Women’s Day, and it’s important for us to be thinking about stories such as that of Yousafzai’s. The theme for this year’s holiday is “The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum,” which is supposed to strengthen international commitment to end violence toward women. The following are some events in the Kent area for International Women’s Day:

• International Women’s Panel and Discussion from 11 a.m. to noon in Room 106 in Manchester Hall

• Girl Rising, a documentary on nine girls from nine countries, premieres at 7:30 p.m. in the Montrose Theater in Akron

We need to honor women and girls on a global level. The equality between men and women in the U.S. might be stronger, but the same cannot be said for other nations such as Pakistan. Not all women around the globe have easy access to education, choice in marriage, work equality or a feeling of safety in their country.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board.