Nobel Peace laureate Kailash Satyarthi launches a world summit, lays the roadmap for an equal future for children’
Imtiyaz Ali, a former child slave rescued by Bachpan Bachao Andolan, spearheaded by Nobel Peace laureate Kailash Satyarthi, astounded the august gathering at Rashtrapati Bhavan with his questions. “We the children have questions. And, I bring them to you. How much longer are we to waitIJ”
He set world leaders, humanists and Nobel laureates thinking about the need to prioritise safe childhood globally on a war footing. The summit, organised by Satyarthi’s foundation, aimed to channelise the intellectual, moral and political power of the world’s leaders to focus on the greatest challenge of our times, the need to protect and educate every child. Elaborating on the summit’s rationale, Satyarthi said, “Two years ago, in Stockholm, I met laureates of different disciplines and spoke with them about the plight of children in slavery. They were deeply saddened and in disbelief. ‘Is it happening even today, KailashIJ’ ‘Are children really being bought and sold for prices lesser than animalsIJ’ The conversation was very emotional. I could sense their compassion and the will to work for children. This compassion is the inspiration behind this summit.”
A tireless advocate of children’s rights for over three decades, Satyarthi said, “The idea of a united future has never been more urgently needed than today. let our intellectual and moral might arrive at its rightful conclusion, our children. We must leave behind a legacy of compassion. The dreams of our children can only be fulfilled by our collective will and strong resolve.”
Reminding the society about its moral obligation towards development and security of children, President Pranab Mukherjee said, “I’d like to congratulate Shri Kailash Satyarthi and the Children’s Foundation for taking this timely and thoughtful initiative. It is disappointing to see children struggling for basic needs, and being caught in child labour, child slavery and other forms of exploitation. I remember Mr Satyarthi raised an important point in his Nobel lecture, ‘Children are watching our actions. They are asking us questions’. This day is celebrated every year as the Human Rights Day. I call upon this gathering to assimilate this day’s significance for humanity, in spirit.”
“It is our responsibility to ensure that such a world is a better place than what we were given. Exploitation of resources and degradation of the environment is posing a serious challenge to sustainable development.
“The path towards an equal future will come through prioritising. The disparities in education, health and poverty indicators will have to be eliminated. The factors hampering the progress of disadvantaged children will have to be removed,” he added.
In a session titled let us Globalise Compassion for our Children, Dalai lama (Nobel Peace laureate, 1989) spoke about the urgent need to come together for peace and sustainability of the planet.
HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco, who was also present, narrated her experiences with marginalised children from across the world and paid tribute to Satyarthi for rescuing more than 85,000 children and restoring their childhoods.
HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan discussed the situation in West Asia and problems faced by migrant and refugee children. He urged the world to recognise the plight of children in war zones and show personal commitment to eliminating evils faced by children that are being discussed.
HRH Princess laurentien of The Netherlands, who is also the UN special envoy for literacy and development, discussed the role of education and moral power of children which can bring us together, and put us on the right course again.
HE José Ramos-Horta, former President of Timor-leste (Nobel Peace laureate, 1996) reiterated the thoughts of the panel and expressed his gratitude to Shri Satyarthi for his work for children across the world.
later, there was a thematic dialogue session: Circles for Freedom: lend Voices to our Children. The pivotal session had laureates, leaders and luminaries from academics, arts, civil society, government, business and children coming together in 20 smaller circles (round tables) to ideate on building a world free from all forms of child exploitation. Each round table was presided over by a Nobel laureate/world leader, where the thematic discussions ranged from access to justice, the role of business and youth, tapping innovation and technology, creating child-friendly communities and a coordinated, holistic approach to end child exploitation.