Indian child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi is the eight Indian to win a Nobel Prize, and third Indian to win a Nobel Prize for Peace. He won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize along with Pakistan’s child rights activist Malala Yousafzai, who herself is 17 years old. The Nobel committee said: Satyarthi, 60, has maintained the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and headed various forms of peaceful protests, focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain. Heres all that you need to know about Kailash Satyarthi: #1 A human rights activist, Kailash Satyarthi has been at the forefront of a movement in India to end child slavery and exploitative child labour since 1980. He founded the Bachpan Bachao Andolan. #2 Kailash Satyarthi has headed various forms of peaceful protests and demonstrations, focusing on the exploitation of children for financial gain. #3 In 1980, Kailash Satyarthi gave up his job as an electrical engineer to begin the crusade to end exploitation of children in India. As a grassroots activist, he rescued of over 78,500 children who were employed as child labours and developed a successful model for their education and rehabilitation. #4 He was instrumental in making the problem of child labour in India as a human rights issue. He has established that child labor is responsible for the perpetuation of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, population explosion and many other social evils. #5 Satyarthi has also played an important role in linking the fight against child labor with the efforts for achieving Education for All. #6 The Nobel Laureate is a member of a high level group formed by UNESCO on Education for all comprising of select Presidents, Prime Ministers and UN Agency Heads. #7 Kailash Satyarthi has survived numerous attacks on his life during his crusade to end child labour, the most recent being the attack on him and his colleagues while rescuing child slaves from garment sweatshops in Delhi #8 In 2004 while rescuing children from a local circus mafia, Kailash Satyarthi and his colleagues were brutally attacked. Despite of these attacks and his office being ransacked a number of times his commitment for the cause has been unwavering. #9 Satyarthi has been honoured by the Former US President Bill Clinton in Washington for featuring in Kerry Kennedys Book ‘Speak Truth to Power, where his life and work featured among the top 50 human rights defenders in the world. #10 Wikipedia states that Satyarthi has been the subject of a number of documentaries, television series, talk shows, advocacy and awareness films. He has also won many international awards, including: · 2014: Nobel Peace Prize, shared with Malala Yousafzai · 2009: Defenders of Democracy Award (US) · 2008: Alfonso Comin International Award (Spain) · 2007: Medal of the Italian Senate (2007) · 2007: recognized in the list of Heroes Acting to End Modern Day Slavery by the US State Department[3] · 2006: Freedom Award (US) · 2002: Wallenberg Medal, awarded by the University of Michigan[4] · 1999: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Award (Germany)[5] · 1995: Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award (US)[6] · 1985: The Trumpeter Award (US) · 1984: The Aachener International Peace Award (Germany)
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 11:02:23 +0000
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