Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi spoke at Townhall with NDTV on World Day Against Child Labour.
Here are the highlights of what he said:
- It's a shame that India has the highest number of child labourers in the world.
- Seeing a cobbler's child working outside my school sowed first seeds in me to take up this cause.
- The cobbler told me his son was born to work. I asked myself why and then took up this fight.
- Not everyone is numb when they see kids working. But, they don't know what to do.
- Every problem is inter-connected. A child in bonded labour may turn into a suicide bomber.
- Most children are trafficked and exploited under the garb of family industry.
- If an artisan has a good earning, he will never send his child to work.
- It's a big myth that artisan's kids are learning the trade. Kids are in fact being exploited.
- Proposed amendments to child labour law are progressive, but need more work.
- I want child labour and family clearly defined in law.
- Government shouldn't cut down on the list of hazardous occupations and processes.
- Schooling, health and freedom are non-negotiable even for child artists.
- Poverty is no excuse for making children work.
- Government must ensure poor children get the benefits they are entitled to.
- In many cases, father wastes money and forces child to work. Rs 10,000 fine will be a deterrent.
- A uniform definition of 'child' should be set at age 18. We have to move towards it.
- Quality education, equity and inclusion a must for all children, not just a few.
- We are happy with high enrolement rates and deliberately ignore quality, equity and inclusion.
- 17 crore kids are employed globally and 20 crore adults are jobless.
- Studies show parents are jobless and kids are preferred to work as they are cheap labour.
- Economic growth and child labour can never go hand in hand.
- Keeping children as domestic help is modern day slavery. It's unacceptable.
- Tell your friends you won't even drink water in their house if a kid is working there.
- Number of child slaves globally is growing. Hope UN includes it in sustainable development goals.
- No one can deny that India has child slaves.
- Multi-national firms still use sweatshops employing kids on a huge scale.
- Companies and entire supply chain cleverly hide the fact that kids are working for them.
- Do I look like a five-star activist, with my old chappals?
- Don't think foreign funding of NGOs should be stopped. We live in globalised world.
- Critical constructive voices of independent bodies very important in democracy.
- I have been helping children in Pakistan for the last 25 years. They are my children.
- Hundreds of Pakistani friends called me when you aired my interview after the Peshawar school attack.
- Malala is like my child, she calls me 'abbu'.