“Let us respect our children”

What are the main challenges facing the world in terms of elimination of child labour and establishing of child rights?

The biggest challenges include the lack of adequate political will. 168 million children are still languishing in various forms of child labour. And out of them 85 million are trapped into slavery, prostitution, working in hazardous conditions -- what we legally call the worst forms of child labour. 

Another challenge is the dualistic mindset of the people. When we consider our biological children we think that they are born to become doctors, engineers, and professors—the whole world is for them. But when we talk about other children, we think, ok, they are poor children, let them work, we will slowly help them.

Let us consider all children our children. 

Is it possible?

Why not? When I started my fight against child slavery and child labour in India, expanding into South Asia and then the world, it was a non-issue. Most people did not find anything wrong with child labour. But I kept on pushing against it in my surroundings. It was not easy. I had to establish that child labour is the killing of childhood and it is unacceptable. It is the destruction of humanity. Slowly, the media, the judiciary, governments and common people—not only in my country but in other countries—started listening. 

We demanded that the world should know how many children are working as child labourers and child slaves. There was no data available until some 20 years ago. We came to know that almost 260 million children were working in child labour. Now the number has gone down to 168 million. Similarly, the number of out-of-school children had reached almost 230 million. Now that number is down to half. So things have changed. I am confident that things will change much faster now than ever before.

What transformed you from an electrical engineer to a child rights activist? Was there any particular moment in your life that brought it all together? 

The seed was sown on the very first day of my schooling. I saw a boy my age, five and a half years old, sitting outside the school. He was a cobbler. I asked the teacher: Why is this boy sitting outside while we are all in? My teacher said, "Just sit down. Make new friends. Be familiar with the school." Everyone tried to convince me that it is common practice for poor children to work. One day I gathered all my courage and went straight up to the father of this child. I said, "Why don't you send your child to school?" He said, "We people are born to work." That was unacceptable to me. And it is still unacceptable to me. 

I am also very thankful to Bangladeshi children, some of whom have marched with me across the world.

Please tell us a little bit about this march. 

I formed the South Asian coalition against child servitude in 1989. And then I realised it's a global problem. I was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's way and other social movements in the world. I decided to organise a long march. Three marches began simultaneously— from Sao Paulo, Cape Town and Manila. All these marches had groups of children from different countries including Bangladesh. In six months we covered 80,000 kilometres on road across 103 countries. The children said, "We don't want tools and guns in our hands, we want books and toys." It became a worldwide movement, resulting in the formation of a new international convention known as the ILO Convention on Worst Forms of Child Labour. Six Bangladeshi boys and girls marched with me. They are like my children. They came to meet me a few minutes ago. They have become parents now. 

Do you think there is a change in the political will of governments as a result of these movements? 

Politicians realise that it is a popular demand from the masses. Now most countries have laws against child labour. And in many countries the laws are being implemented. It has changed the attitude of the society as a whole. Corporate environment has also changed quite a bit. They have realised that consumers are much more aware now. They demand child labour-free goods. That has helped generate some pressure on the entire corporate world to find solutions to the problem. 

You demand that governments must make child-friendly policies. Could you give us some examples of child-friendly policies? 

Well, we make our policies, even the budgetary allocations, considering our voters only. That's short-time planning. But when we bring the issues of children at the centre stage, it becomes long-term thinking. In politics many of us plan for the next one year or five years. Let us sit and plan for the next 50 years. Investment in children is the beginning. We have to be their friends. Friendliness means mutual respect. Charity is not friendship. Let us build partnership as friends and bring about changes in the lives of these children.  

How do you convince parents in poor families that it is better to send children to school rather than make them earn money for their families, which they perhaps need very much?

It's difficult. But if the choice is good quality, free education, if the choice is some incentives in education, some social security measures in education and around, then they would definitely love to send their children to school—and it happens. Also examples or role models are important. 

On behalf of all children of Bangladesh, we thank you. You have been a great friend to Bangladesh and we urge you to continue to be so.

It's my pleasure and honour. You already have a Peace Laureate, Muhammad Yunus. Now consider me another Laureate for your country because I feel that Bangladesh is not just a next door neighbour, I belong here. 



 — Transcribed by Amitava Kar