Pakistan-origin school student and education activist Malala Yousafzai, who has been given the International Children's Peace Prize for 2013 in The Hague, has vowed to intensify her struggle for promoting the education of all children, and particularly girls.
Malala, who was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen and left in critical condition on October 9, 2012, for demanding her and all girls right to education in Pakistan's tribal dominant Swat Valley, said during the award ceremony that the assassination attempt on her had made her more determined than ever to continue her campaign for girls' education.
According to the Daily Times, her brave fight for survival and her speech at the United Nations in July have made her a leading contender for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
Malala received her prize from the 2011 Nobel Peace laureate, Yemeni journalist and activist Tawakkol Karman.
Karman told Malala that she was his hero, while speaking in Arabic in an address praising the Pakistani teen's achievement.
The prize carries a cash value of 133,000 dollars that is invested in projects relating to the winner's cause.