feature // 14

Not Nobel

» Compassion needs to be globalized

Chitwan Khosla
Features Editor
M features@theotherpress.ca

he Norwegian Nobel

Committee awarded The
Nobel Peace Prize for 2014 to
India’s Kailash Satyarthi and
Pakistan’s Malala Yousafzai
“for their struggle against the
suppression of children and
young people and for the right
of all children to education.”
It isa matter of great pride
as global citizens to see that
their efforts and sacrifices
have been recognized at such
a prestigious international
platform, but let us reflect
upon the virtual and
motivational influence of this
global award on the plight
of children, their rights, and
the education of young girls
around the world.

Yousafzai came to the
limelight between January and
March 2009 when she started
writing a daily blog for BBC
Urdu under the pseudonym
“Gul Makai” when she was
just u. She wrote about the
life people of her hometown
who were forced to live under
the control of the Taliban—a
radical militant group. She
constantly wrote about rights

to education that she and other :

girls like her were deprived of
because the Taliban banned
education for girls in Swat—
where she lived—that year.

In 2012, the Taliban
attempt to assassinate Malala.
She miraculously survived
the attack and thereafter
has emerged as a symbol
of defiance in her peaceful
fight against the militant
rule that banned education
for girls in Pakistan. Since
then, she has been be the
recipient of multiple national
and international awards—

highlighted by the Nobel

Peace Prize this year which has

focussed the world’s attention
towards educational rights for
children and girls.

Similarly, Kailash
Satyarthi, who founded a non-
governmental organization—

Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save

the Childhood Movement)—
and has fought to protect over
80,000 children from forced
labour and trafficking since
1980, dedicated his award to
the cause of children rights
because it was in recognition
of the plight of more than
26-million children trapped in
labour and trafficking across

: born in India has gone globally :
: and now we have the global
: movement against child labour. :
: After receiving this award

: I feel that people will give

: more attention to the cause of
children in the world.”

The same feelings and

the globe. Accepting the award : hopes were expressed by

he said, “Something which was : Malala, who carries on with her :

: campaign.

But has there been even

: a slight difference ever since

these global personalities

: started with their respective

: causes? Are more children

: going to schools in countries

: like India, Pakistan, and

: Thailand etc.? Have even a few
: hundred thousand children

working under pitiable

 

ad

The ground reality shows

: a dismal picture of children’s
: conditions been saved? And are :

education in many parts of

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: the world. Pakistan is still
spending approximately only
: two per cent of its budget

: on children’s education,

: leaving millions illiterate and
dependent on meagre jobs to
: make both ends meet.

Living in a country like

: Canada we might never

think about such conditions

: for children because they

: don’t exist in our social

limits. But we can’t ignore

: that there is a high rate of

: unemployment and many

: young children are dropping

: out of schools in North

: America. Providing equality

: and access to education to

: children across the globe will
: have a remarkably positive

: influence in the global

: economy. The United Nations
: Educational, Scientific, and

: Cultural Organization’s reports
: have presented that if all the

: children in underdeveloped

: countries are educated, it will
: lower the global poverty by 12
: per cent and per capita income
: will increase by 23 per cent in
: 40 years.

Poverty, social stigma, and

the vicious cycle of officials,

: politicians, moneylenders,

: militants, and middlemen have
: come in direct confrontation

: with Satyarthi and Yousafzai

: winning the Nobel Peace

: Prize. The more support

: these personalities receive

: internationally, the more

: resentment they are likely to

: meet, especially in their home
: countries.

No single person who wins

the Nobel Prize can change

: or fix everything. Eradicating

: poverty, illiteracy, and child

: labour, while improving the

: plight of children is a global

: cause and needs global

: intervention. The stories of

: people winning this award will
: definitely bring these issues

: to political and social agenda

: but a humanitarian approach

: is much needed. Two thousand
: four hundred schools have

: been demolished in Syria

: during the civil war, over 250

: schools have been closed

: down in Democratic Republic

: of Congo due to attacks by

. . . : rebels in 2013, schools have

: school-going girls free from the : been bombed by the Taliban
: fear of Taliban in Swat Valley or :

: other stricken areas? Answers
may include different statistics : no access to education and no
: but the whole picture definitely :
: shows no significant change

: in the circumstances of these
: children.

: in Pakistan, leaving more
: than a million children with

: choice but to work to support

: their families. Looking at such

: data, a very strong message

: comes through: “Not Nobel,

: but the compassion needs to be
: globalized.”