14 DAY TRIAL // The Nobel Committee has decided to split this year’s Peace Prize in two and award it to both Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi for their fight for children’s rights.
“Children must go to school and not be financially exploited. In the poor countries of the world, 60% of the present population is under 25 years of age. It is a prerequisite for peaceful global development that the rights of children and young people be respected. In conflict-ridden areas in particular, the violation of children leads to the continuation of violence from generation to generation,” the Committee said.
They believe that the pairing is perfect because while Malala fights for girls’ right to an education, Kailash Satyarthi has been fighting to free exploited children.
Malala Yousafzai
Born on July 12, 1997, Malala is the youngest person to have ever received the Nobel Peace Prize and the youngest to have ever been awarded a Nobel prize of any kind. Previously, the youngest winner was 25 years old and he received the distinction back in 1915.
Her name became known worldwide after she was shot in the head by the Taliban who were banning girls from attending school.
Ever since she was 11, Malala started writing about what was happening in her life after the Taliban had taken control over the area. She wrote a blog under a pseudonym for the BBC explaining everything in detail. Others followed, and on October 9, 2012, Malala was shot for wanting to attend school.
She was eventually sent to the United Kingdom for rehabilitation, but the threats kept coming as Islamic clerics in Pakistan expressed their desire to kill her and her father as well.
She was named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, won the first National Youth Peace Prize in Pakistan, and spoke at the United Nations calling for worldwide access to education. She received the Sakharov Prize in 2013 and many other nominations and acknowledgement from all over the world.
Kailash Satyarthi
Satyarthi was born on January 11, 1953 in India. He has been active in the Indian movement against child labor since the ‘90s and his organization, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, has helped free some 80,000 children and then helped in rehabilitating and reintegrating them into society and giving them an education.
The 61-year-old has been part of many campaigns related to social issues involving children, including the Global March Against Child Labor. He believes that child labor is a human rights issue, as well as a welfare matter and charitable cause, stating that this only perpetuates poverty, illiteracy and unemployment.
He is accredited for the enactment and adoption of legislation both in India and outside the country’s borders, as well as conventions and treaties on the topic of child labor and education.
Like Malala, his efforts have also been recognized over the years. Back in 1984, he received the Aachener International Peace Prize in Germany, followed by the Trumpeter Award in the United States a year later.
In 2006, he was honored with the Freedom Award, while in 2007 he received the Medal of the Italian Senate. In 2008 he received the Alfonso Comin International Award, and the Defenders of Democracy Award a year later.