Tamil Nadu has poor child welfare record: Nobel Laureate

Referring to the recent cases of missing children, Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi, who has dedicated his life to end global child slavery and exploitation, said that the Tamil Nadu as a state also had a poor record, when it comes to child exploitation. Talking about his campaign ‘100 million for 100 million campaign’, Satyarthi, said that 100 million children across the world are subjected to various forms of violence and exploitation, as a result they suffer from malnutrition, denied education and are made to work under bad conditions. 

He said, “This is a campaign, where 100 million young people can raise their voice for children. I am giving them a platform. Conventional methods, strategy and wisdom have not been able to solve any problems. Social media can be used effectively for this campaign and offline activities can be in form of protests and marches for child rights and their safety and protection.  My India focus for this year will be protection of children from child abuse and exploitation.” He also said that though countries are coming forward to address the issues, enough has not been done. “Child rights protection is still not a part of political agendas. We have not been able to reduce child marriage, sexual exploitation, child abuse and child trafficking,” he added.

He also pointed out to some home statistics that indicates the gap between the percentage of children and the budget allocation. “India has the largest demography of young population. As much as 40 per cent of the population are below the age of 18. But budgetary spending is less than three per cent on education, health and protection of children,” he said. By instilling compassion and leadership in today’s young generation, the campaign aims to eliminate the problems of tomorrow, Satyarthi added. The 100 Million for 100 Million Campaign was launched globally at the Laureates and Leaders for Children Summit for Children by President of India Pranab Mukherjee in December 2016.