Compassion for children is one single factor that can unite the world, according to Kailash Satyarthi, global child rights activist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
“Children are not responsible for poverty, division, economic inequality, as all these are created by adults, and at the same time, children are becoming vulnerable and are being displaced due to global warming, climate change and globalisation,” said Dr. Satyarthi in an interactive session with students of Vignan University. Dr. Satyarthi was the co-recipient of Nobel Peace Prize along with Malala Yousafzai. He also founded Bachpan Bachao Andolan and led the Global March against child labour in 1998 travelling across 103 countries and was instrumental in bringing the Right to Education Act.
An electric engineer-turned-child rights crusader, Dr. Satyarthi said that he was influenced by the children working in tea stalls and other areas in his neighbourhood, and decided that he should work for the children.
“I was moved by the sight of a cobbler boy near my school and thought why a child should work so early in his life and these thoughts influenced me. I shared my thoughts with my family, and they told me to make friends and enjoy the school. When I decided to chuck the engineering job, my friends thought I am mad, but when I got the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, the same people began to congratulate me,” said Dr. Satyarthi.
Sharing his views on globalisation and its impact on children in developing countries, Dr. Satyarthi said that globalisation has created more opportunities and created a supply chain which required a huge number of workers in developing countries. So children began to be hired by subcontracting agencies in shoe-making units, apparel units and companies pay them lesser wages.
“On one hand, sexual abuse against children in on rise. Four children are being abused every hour and two children are raped every hour. This must be stopped and even the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals relating to children are to be achieved by the year 2025. Over 260 million children in the world are out of school and we need more social protective measures to provide livelihood to working men and women so that there is no pressure on children to work,” said Dr. Satyarthi.
Vignan gesture
Member of Parliament, Narsaraopet, and vice-chairman of Vignan Group, Lavu Krishnadevarayulu said that the Vignan Group would present ₹5 lakh to the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation and have a quota for child dropouts in the colleges. Further, the institute would continue working with Dr. Satyarthi and support his crusade against child labour.
Chairman of the group Lavu Rathaiah said that Dr. Satyarthi was a champion of child right and a role model for many students.
Chancellor K. Rammoorthy Naidu, Vice-Chancellor M.Y.S. Prasad, and others were also present.
