US Praises Kailash Satyarthi for Relentless Work for Children Rights

Washington: The United States today praised Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi for "relentlessly working" for children's rights and keeping them in school, rather than in the workforce.

"For more than four decades, Mr Satyarthi has worked relentlessly for the rights of children and waged a peaceful struggle to keep children in school, rather than in the workforce," US State Department said in its annual report to the Congress on human trafficking.

"He has helped to free children trapped in bonded labour, assisted them with vocational training and education, and challenged public discourse in India on child labor and child trafficking," the  Trafficking in Persons Report 2015 said.

In 1980, Mr Satyarthi founded the 'Bachpan Bachao Andolan' (BBA), which has removed more than 80,000 children from exploitation, the report said adding that his contributions have not only affected India, but have also changed the world.

In 1998, he organised the Global March Against Child Labour, the world's largest campaign against child labour that led to the adoption of ILO Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labour.

"Mr Satyarthi also founded Good Weave in 1994, which now implements a certification scheme to ensure no child labour is used in the production of carpets in India, Nepal, and Afghanistan," the report said.