New Delhi:The Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi, who is campaigning to create a healthy childhood for children in India and different parts of the world, is recognized for his struggles in the field of child rights all over the world. He has freed 90 thousand children from the clutches of bonded labour. He is the only Nobel laureate, whose birthplace and place of work both are in India. Kailash Satyarthi, who made it to the list of the world’s greatest leaders in 2015, is also campaigning to eliminate child labour in the world by 2025.
Kailash Satyarthi exclusive interview Part 1 Apart from this, Satyarthi, who was recently included as a keynote speaker in the World Health Assembly organized by the WHO, has demanded a task force for children around the world. He and his team are raising the issue of fair share for children and giving Constitutional rights to health, loudly these days.
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In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, Kailash Satyarthi spoke about Covid situation and how the world will save children suffering across continents from the reverses caused by the pandemic.
ETV Bharat:Recently you were invited to address the World Health Assembly organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a keynote speaker. What plans and ideas did you put forward for the children on the stage?
Kailash Satyarthi: It was a matter of great pride for me being an Indian and being a social worker because I was called in the General Assembly of the World Health Organization in place of the Head of the State or the Prime Minister or the President. It meant a lot. What I understood from that now is perhaps the fact that the world wants to hear the voice of the most pitiful, oppressed, crushed and pushed back children. Maybe those voices got channelled through me and I raised some basic issues there. Crores of children, who have been deprived of education, now will not be able to go to school. Millions of children are still out of school.
Kailash Satyarthi exclusive interview Part 2 And all over the world, such children are forced into child labour, child sexual abuse and child prostitution. So the health of those children cannot be seen in isolation nor can their education be seen in isolation. These are related issues. Therefore, the countries around the world will have to work together on this and safeguard children from further sufferings.
I proposed that all the UN agencies that are working for the welfare of children, whether it is WHO, UNICEF or UNESCO, should work together. For this, a high-level group of the United Nations should be formed, which can eliminate or reduce the impact of this coronavirus epidemic on children, because it has had multifaceted effects. The work of dealing with such grave issues cannot be done only by the Ministry of Health but the Ministry of Education of all countries will also have to work. Secondly, a special task force should be created in every country. One such group should be formed, which will be responsible for seeing its effect on children and whose recommendations cannot be ignored and the governments will have to work on them.
ETV Bharat:Amid the coronavirus period, children have been affected the most across the globe including India. The governments have put all the focus on dealing with the coronavirus, but no special provisions for children can be seen anywhere? Why and what should happen?
Kailash Satyarthi: It is a big mistake on our part that children have not been in our political, social, economic, and cultural priorities, especially those children who are left out from the margins. This is the reason why such a large number of children are deprived of education.
Kailash Satyarthi exclusive interview Part 3 Be it education budget, health budget or others and their protection budget, these are not on the priority list of the countries around the world. And this is the reason why this condition persists. This is not a priority even in the grants of international development. It is not even in the laws. We have always been talking about priority. That is why we are telling them to give a fair share of resources.
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I took the initiative to gather 80 Nobel laureates from around the world, Heads of States, former Heads of States and many heads of the United Nations and launched this campaign in March last year. We kept saying that children should get their fair share. So, we have started this campaign.
ETV Bharat: How has corona affected children in India? Will this increase trafficking and child labour?
Kailash Satyarthi: The coronavirus has had a very bad effect on children in India. Millions of children are unable to go to school. Many children were surviving thanks to the Mid-Day Meal. It is a matter of great concern that they are not able to get the Mid-Day Meal during the Covid period.
Kailash Satyarthi exclusive interview Part 4 ETV Bharat: There are reports that sexual abuse of children has also increased during the Covid period? What is the reason behind this?
Kailash Satyarthi:It is a matter of great shame and this is the news not only in our country but also from the big countries across the world. This is an irony for the whole world. It is a matter of great concern. This has led to the downfall of character as well as the mental decline of society. The lives of those children have been ruined by this. It is the responsibility of the parents to deal with them in a friendly manner.
ETV Bharat:Amid Covid lockdown, a large number of migrant labourers have migrated from cities to their villages. In such a situation, their children have dropped out of school. In metros or cities where online classes are being held, poor children are deprived of studies due to a lack of facilities. Should nothing be done in this direction?
Kailash Satyarthi: The children who do not have this facility, for them not only the government should come forward but also the social organizations, corporate houses should come forward. The religious leaders, religious institutions should buy old mobile phones from their devotees and give them to poor children so that they can take advantage of online classes. It is also the responsibility of the government to provide free internet facilities to these children.
ETV Bharat:A deep impact has been seen on the mental health of children. Is this problem getting the attention of the government? What solution do you see?
Kailash Satyarthi:I have requested the Central government and written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging that there is a multidimensional calamity in the matter of children. Therefore, a task force should be formed at the national level in which there are experts on these subjects. Child psychologists and child psychiatrists should also be included in this task force. When the lockdown is over, the education and health departments together should give psychological training to teachers. Along with this, special attention should be given to the mental health of the children after the lockdown.
ETV Bharat:The corona pandemic has exposed the plight of health services in the country. We have not been able to provide health services to a large number of children and elderly people? What is the reason and what should happen?
Kailash Satyarthi:There is a need to strengthen the health system and more resources will have to be invested in it. Everyone has to mobilise with a responsibility. That is why I have demanded from the government that health should be given the status of a Constitutional right. If we make health a fundamental right in our country, then the entire health system can be strengthened. A positive initiative will be able to get rid of the despair, fear and uncertainty, which are prevailing among the people. How will people believe that health is my fundamental right? Just see how some people took the wrong advantage of this opportunity. Beds were given in hospitals at very expensive prices or there was loot in the name of ventilators. Bills of lakhs were generated for the people. If people have the right to health, then they will be able to get rid of all these things. The public health infrastructure of the country should be strengthened for all.
ETV Bharat:When it comes to child labour, a section in the country argues that if the child of the poor does not work, he will die of hunger. They say that first eliminate poverty, then child labour will automatically end. What do you have to say about this?
Kailash Satyarthi: It should be seen why the children are not our priority. His parents are not getting employment even for a hundred days in a year. It is becoming a vicious cycle that every child labourer is making some adult unemployed and doing child labour at the cost of his employment. I say that when there are adults in the world, you should give them employment. If the child does child labour, then on one hand it will make the adult unemployed and on the other, he will be deprived of education. Children deprived of education can never end poverty. There is a triangular cycle of illiteracy, poverty and child labour, which continue to complement each other. If we implement the Right to Education law in the country and the law which has been made against child labour, then we can get rid of this problem.
ETV Bharat:You are running a campaign to save the childhood of children across the globe. How safe have you kept your childhood?
Kailash Satyarthi: I never associate childhood with age. I believe that childhood means truth, honesty, transparency, courage to forgive others and learning new things, all this is childhood. Someone can do good things in society without any ego. In the true sense, it is childhood. I play with children every day, laugh and joke. I say look at the world through the eyes of children. It is very beautiful. If you try your heart out for the children, then there is no such problem that cannot be solved.
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