Words by Abi Scaife
Activist Malala Yousafzai is challenging gender discrimination in football.
Tell me more.
Malala, whose activism for gender equality stretches back to her childhood, has met with the Afghanistan women’s national football team.
Due to being evacuated from Afghanistan, and not being sanctioned by the Taliban rule there, Afghanistan’s women’s football team was ineligible for formal recognition from Fifa.
That’s terrible.
It is - but support is coming from all over, including from Malala, who visited them in their current home of Melbourne, Australia.
So far, more than 170,000 people have signed the petition to have the Afghanistan women’s football team officially recognised - and if you want to sign it too, you can do so by following this link.
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
The Fawcett Society. This is the UK's leading charity campaigning for gender equality and women's rights. Support them here.
Gendered Intelligence. This charity works to increase understandings of gender diversity and improve the lives of trans people. Learn more here.
Beyond Equality. This charity is disrupting harmful norms and creating possibilities for positive change, working with men and boys towards gender equality. Find out more here.
