JOIN US“How can I return this (Nobel Peace Prize) award? It was given to me by outsiders,” was the amused response of Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, who was asked about the supposed “growing intolerance” in the country and it offshoot - the “award wapsi” culture.
Satyarthi, who was in Bengaluru on Friday, however, went on to state that ‘intolerance’, which had become a burning debate in the country, was also a global phenomenon.
“Several reasons including ecological issues, insurgencies, terrorism and fundamentalism have created a sense of fear, apathy and intolerance globally. To resolve this, we need a deeper sense of compassion. These debates will come and go. But I am looking at a global campaign, which will make an impact. I look for deeper and broader global solutions,” he added.
The child rights activist was interacting with journalists during a Meet the Press programme.
Nirbhaya case
When asked about his thoughts on the juvenile convict in the Nirbhaya case, who is due for release next month, Satyarthi said that he advocated longer duration of ‘reform’ period for juveniles who have committed heinous crimes.
Batting for the mother tongue as the medium of instruction in all schools, he however, said that commercialisation of education was compromising quality, inclusivity and equity. The governments should invest more on education.
Touching upon the importance of enacting the “obsolete/redundant” Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, at the earliest, he however, aired concerns about the amendments that have been proposed for the same.
“There are a lot of grey areas. We demand that there is a clear definition of hazardous labour, with no dilution. The 1986 law had included 13 occupations and 65 processes as hazardous. Now only three occupations are being included in the proposed new law. A strong law needs to be passed in the next Parliamentary session,” he said.
He said child pornography was a flourishing trade and that the international community was deeply concerned. He added that governments and technology giants alike were worried about the growing misuse of social media where children were being exploited.