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India's Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai win Nobel Peace Prize 2014

Written By DNA Web Team | Updated: Oct 10, 2014, 08:38 PM IST

An Indian wins the coveted Nobel Prize for peace after 35 years

Indian child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi has expressed his desire to reach out and work with his Pakistani counterpart Malala Yousafzai to campaign for the common cause of child rights.

Renowned child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi, who leads the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save Childhood Movement), and Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai have been jointly awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for "their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education".

"Showing great personal courage, Kailash Satyarthi, maintaining Mahatma Gandhi’s tradition, has headed various forms of protests and demonstrations, all peaceful, focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain. He has also contributed to the development of important international conventions on children’s rights," the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.

"Despite her youth, Malala Yousafzai has already fought for several years for the right of girls to education, and has shown by example that children and young people, too, can contribute to improving their own situations. This she has done under the most dangerous circumstances. Through her heroic struggle she has become a leading spokesperson for girls’ rights to education," it added.

The 17-year-old Pakistani girl of Pashtun origin who was shot by the Taliban for advocating women rights and education in Pakistan has stunned her critics and attackers with her strong stance on education for women. Malala survived the attempted homicide and was transferred to the UK with her family, where she was able to get treatment and go to school, and has since become a worldwide symbol for the fight against oppression of women and the right to education.

The Nobel committee said it “regards it as an important point for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism,” as reported by Guardian. 

The report further adds that there were a record 278 nominations this year, 19 more than ever before – including US whistleblowers Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Pope Francis. Also on the list of nominees was an anti-war clause in the Japanese constitution and the International Space Station partnership.

Previous choices include illustrious names such as Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Martin Luther King - and, controversially, Barack Obama in 2009.

60-year-old Satyarthi runs an NGO in India, the Bachpan Bachao Andolan, which has been in the forefront of rescuing children from forced labour and trafficking. 

Satyarthi told PTI he was extremely delighted with being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and called it a "recognition of our fight for child rights". "I am thankful to Nobel committee for recognising the plight of millions of children who are suffering in this modern age," Satyarthi said.

Malala is a symbol of hope and inspiration for many girls worldwide because of her staunch support of women's rights and education. In her book I am Malala, she has written about her childhood memoirs, her school, friends and gender disparity faced by children with respect to education. Called 'Gul Makai' by her father, Malala has two brothers and moved to United Kingdom for treatment post the Taliban attempt on her life. Her book also chronicles how Taliban forces treat society in the country. 

Along with her father, Malala has started @MalalaFund and 'A world at school' campaign to empower children across the globe to seek the basic fundamental right to education. 

Also Read: Malala Yousafzai wins Nobel Peace Prize: Here's her journey from writing as 'Gul Makai' to starting 'A world at school'