Noted Indian child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistani teenage education activist Malala Yousafzai won this year’s Nobel peace prize “for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.”
“Children must go to school and not be financially exploited. In the poor
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countries of the world, 60 per cent of the present population is under 25 years of age. It is a prerequisite for peaceful global development that the rights of children and young people be respected. In conflict-ridden areas in particular, the violation of children leads to the continuation of violence from generation to generation,” the Nobel Committee observed.
“An important point for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism,” the committee said.
The committee felt that Satyarthi “has also contributed to the development of important international conventions on children’s rights”.
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For Malala the Committee opined that “She has done under the most dangerous circumstance. Through her heroic struggle she has become a leading spokesperson for girls’ rights to education.”
In his first reaction Satyarthi told news channel CNN-IBN, “It’s an honour to all those children who are still suffering in slavery, bonded labour and trafficking,” adding, “It’s an honour to all my fellow Indians. I am thankful to all those who have been supporting my striving for more than the last 30 years.”
Tags: Kailash Satyarthi Malala Yousafzai Nobel Peace Prize Nobel Prize
