A 17-year-old who is not allowed to speak in public in her own country has won a prestigious international award for advocating for the rights of Afghan girls. Nila Ibrahimi won the International Children’s Peace Prize on Tuesday, an award that has recognized luminaries including climate activist Greta Thunberg and girls’ education campaigner Malala Yousafzai. Ibrahimi received the honor for her “courageous work to fight for the rights of girls” in Afghanistan, where women are being silenced by oppressive rules set by the Taliban, who seized power in 2021. Before the takeover, Ibrahimi gained an online following after using her voice to pressure Kabul education authorities to overturn a ban on schoolgirls singing in public. Ibrahimi recorded herself singing, and her brother uploaded the video to social media. The “IAmMySong” campaign caught on and, within weeks, the ban was overturned. “That was the first time that I thought, wow. Like…
