OSLO (Reuters) – Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai, shot in the head by the Taliban two years ago for advocating girls’ right to education, and Indian children’s right advocate Kailash Satyarthi won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize.
Later more …
Malala Yousafzai speaks defiantly in support of education for girls around the world
Nine months after the Pakistani Taliban shot her in the head when she was returning home from school, Malala Yousafzai addressed the United Nations speaking defiantly in support of education for girls around the world.
“I am not here to speak against the Taliban,” Yousafzai said, speaking to a group of young students from around the world. “I’m here to speak up for the right of every child.”
Friday, which is Yousafzai’s 16th birthday, was declared “Malala Day” at the United Nations, where she was speaking to the U.N. Youth Assembly, a gathering of young students from around the world.
More below the fold …
This “Seeker of Truth,” is synonymous with the crusade against child slavery in India. Kailash Satyarthi, born in 1954, started with the basics by turning the public opinion of child slavery from one of apathy and denial to a profound acknowledgment as a pertinent and urgent concern in the minds of prominent decision makers. He then worked to philosophically label it as a human rights concern instead of a welfare matter by arguing that child labor is largely responsible for the agreed upon social evils of illiteracy, poverty and population explosion.
Riding this ideology, he created the Global March Against Child Labor, one of the most powerful civil society movements for social change, that is now active in over 140 countries, and has made massive progress in the implementation of international laws against child labor. Not just child labour, Satyarthi has also been involved in the crusade against child trafficking and prostitution in India as well as in global forums.
The Nobel Committee quite often award the prize for “a work in progress,” not the achievement but a signal of the importance of a project for human kind.
The Nobel Peace Prize 2014
Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzay
“for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education”The Nobel Peace Prize 2013
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
“for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons”The Nobel Peace Prize 2012
European Union (EU)
“for over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe”The Nobel Peace Prize 2011
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkol Karman
“for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work”The Nobel Peace Prize 2010
Liu Xiaobo
“for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China”The Nobel Peace Prize 2009
Barack H. Obama
“for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”Excuse Me, Who Won The Nobel Peace Prize? | C&L |
When I woke up and opened my email box, I have to admit I first thought it was some sort of Onion spoof – Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize? Oh c’mon, where’s the punchline? But less than a half a cup of coffee later, I realized, bloody hell, this actually has happened!
