NEW DELHI: Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, who jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize with Malala Yousafzai, strongly advocated crusade against the child labour.
“Gandhiji turned truth, non-violence and peace into a mass movement. My appeal is to turn compassion into a mass movement,” the Nobel Laureate said, adding, “I want to make an earnest appeal to all the Parliamentarians, and also to other leaders to facilitate the passage of the key legislation, failing which, the history and the children of India won’t forgive them.”
The Child Labour Amendment Bill which, once passed, will prohibit employment of children below 14 years in any occupation, bringing the law in consistency with the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009. Satyarthi, who returned to India on Sunday, went along with his wife to Raj Ghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi. An ardent follower of Gandhi, he said he could visualise him receiving the award .
Satyarthi tweeted, “Jai Hind. No words to express my feelings” adding “Bharat Mata Ki Jai. Heartfelt welcome home by fellow Indians”.
Satyarthi said that there should be efforts by the people of India and Pakistan, to achieve sustainable peace between both the countries.
“I am not a politician, but as far as I understand, more people-to-people contact and mutual cooperation is required for any kind of sustainable peace between the two countries,” he said.
The Nobel Laureate also said that the award had increased the weight of “moral responsibility” on his shoulders and that his job wouldn’t be complete till the day every “single child is freed”.
He also said the money he received as a prize from the Nobel Committee will be used by for the cause of children in country, as well as globally. “I can assure you that every single penny will go to the cause of children in my country and globally. The money won’t even go to my own NGO,” he said.