Syrian girl famous for tweeting from within warzone awarded prestigious award for advocacy

A sixteen-year-old Syrian girl who first captured global attention at age seven by tweeting from besieged Aleppo has been honoured with a major international award for her advocacy on behalf of children affected by war.

Bana al-Abed, who was evacuated to Türkiye with her family in 2016, received the International Children's Peace Award for her efforts "reuniting families, reopening schools and offering tangible hope to children in conflict zones like Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine and Syria," as reported by The New Arab.

The award is presented by the Netherlands-based KidsRights Foundation.

Since her evacuation, al-Abed has travelled to international conferences to campaign for children's rights, visited refugee camps in Türkiye and Jordan, written two books, and gained recognition from global leaders.

During her acceptance speech, al-Abed spoke directly to the leaders responsible for conflicts that have killed and displaced children. She called on former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Sudanese warlords to answer for the young lives shattered by their decisions.

In an interview ahead of the ceremony, al-Abed said her highest priority is ensuring that children living in war zones have access to education.

"There are so many things that we should try to help children with, but the most essential thing is education," the publication cites her interview to AFP.

"When they're given an education, they're also given hope and opportunity to grow and develop," she said.

She added that children must also be allowed to experience childhood. In wartime, "children are pushed to become mature and to understand their surroundings much faster and quicker than they should", she said.

Though she has not returned to Syria since fleeing, al-Abed expressed her desire to help rebuild the country and its schools.

"Syria now is in need of so many people's help to rebuild," she said, describing the bare classrooms that many students now face.

She is also working to help reunite the 5,000 Syrian children who were forcibly separated from their families during the war and whose whereabouts remain unknown.

Previous recipients of the International Children’s Peace Award include Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai.

By Nazrin Sadigova