The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Kailash Satyarthi (and Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan), an Indian children's rights activist is a great achievement for the country.
"Now the onus is on the Central and State Governments for taking measures to eradicate child labour," said Uttarakhand State Commission for Protection of Child Rights chairman Ajay Setia while talking to The Pioneer on Friday.Setia said that child labour is a major challenge for the nation and changes in labour laws are needed to eradicate child labour in the country apart from launching welfare measures for the betterment of children.
The number of child labourers in India is highest in Asia. After declaration of Satyarthi's name for Nobel prize, the Central Government's responsibility has increased to eradicate child labour from the country.As far as number of child labourers in Uttarakhand is concerned, 2011 census reveals the numbers of child labourers at around 80,000. Most of the child labourers are in four districts- Haridwar, Dehradun, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital, he added.
Besides addressing the issues of child labour and begging by the children, the other key area of focus for the commission is to enroll these children in the schools with the strict implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act in the state, said Setia.According to him, Satyarthi, had maintained the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and headed various forms of peaceful protests and demonstrations eliciting focus on the serious exploitation of children for financial gain.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the Nobel Peace Prize for 2014 to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education. There are an estimated 168 million child labourers around the world at present. In 2000 the figure was 78
million higher than the present figure. The struggle against suppression and for the rights of children and adolescents contributes to the realisation of the "fraternity between nations" that Alfred Nobel mentions in his will as one of the criteria for the Nobel Peace Prize.