UCSB Girl Up will host a screening of “He Named Me Malala,” the film that details Malala Yousafzai’s relationship with her father and her human rights activism in the Student Resource Building on Thursday at 8:30 p.m.

Malala, a young Muslim woman attacked by the Taliban in 2012 after standing up for girls’ right to education, is the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate in history — she received the honor at age 17 in 2014. UCSB Girl Up, an organization that aims to provide a better future and more opportunities for women and girls worldwide, will accept donations during the event going towards aiding girls in Malawi, Liberia, Guatemala, Ethiopia and India.

Effie Sklavenitis, third-year global studies major and External Vice President of Girl Up UCSB, said the event is an opportunity to support women’s education.

“Girl Up is shedding light on the need to support girls’ education and inform others about the challenges girls still face today, not only abroad, but in our own country as well,” Sklavenitis said.

According to Sklavenitis, Girl Up donations go to disadvantaged young girls in other countries who experience inequality and sexual violence.

“According to the Girl Up website, the second most common cause of death for girls between the ages of 15 to 19 is complications from pregnancy and childbirth,” Sklavenitis said. “50 percent of all sexual assaults worldwide are against girls 15 or younger, and one in seven girls in developing countries is married before the age of 15.”

Emily Farrell, third-year anthropology major and Social Media Chair for Girl Up UCSB, said the organization raised money to provide bikes for girls in Malawi two years ago.

“In a month they had raised more than $100,000 to provide bikes, bike parts and maintenance training to 550 adolescent girls,” Farrell said.

Farrell said the organization is hopeful there will be a good turnout for the screening.

“Two weeks ago, we hosted a screening of ‘Girl Rising,’ which had a good turnout, but we expect ‘He Named Me Malala’ to be even bigger and better,” Farrell said. “People love Malala and this film is a fantastic documentary, an inspiring account of what she has achieved so far at only 18 years old.”

Diana Torres Luevanos, fourth-year biological anthropology and history of art and architecture double major and President of UCSB Girl Up, said all girls should have the same rights to education.

“We are being helped to get an education,” Luevanos said. “Why should girls in developing countries not have the same rights? Why are their dreams worth less than ours?”

Torres Luevanos said the screening is a great opportunity for the students to understand how fortunate they are to be able to contribute to the advancement of young women and girls who don’t enjoy the same privileges.

“By showing this movie, we want to show that just as Malala is getting her education, every girl, no matter where they are, they deserve the same rights as we do, they deserve their dreams to be supported and those dreams can be chased with a pen, paper and a school,” Luevanos said.

Shreya Shailendra, third-year psychology major and Outreach Chair of Girl Up UCSB, said it is “every human being’s right” to receive an education.

“Hence, it is important to recognize the people who, like Malala Yousafzai, fight for these girls’ rights despite having terrifying amounts of opposition,” Shailendra said.

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