Bhopal: “The state government can at least fill the stomach of children so that they don’t become malnourished. The government can prepare plans for the cause,” said Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi while talking to media persons, here on Thursday. He said very shortly a movement against child trafficking, child slavery, sexual assault would be launched in the state. “I have met the CM and discussed about the movement. Importantly the movement will be extended to the entire nation in future,” he said. Religious leaders would be asked to join the movement. They would be asked to deliver lectures on immoral activities at least once a week.
He also added that free wi-fi was being misused by the youth by watching pornography, which was also leading to sexual assault and slavery. “The Centre is preparing a new education policy. I had suggested incorporating the sex education courseware, including dos and don’ts,” Satyarthi added.
He said for last few years crime against minors had increased, even as earlier only adolescents were on the target of culprits. “Now girls from 2 to 12 years are on target. These minors are gang raped and also murdered,” he said. The problem of child marriage, abuse, trafficking is not only problems of India, but European countries are also facing the same.
“During my visit to Turkey I found a father of a 13-year-old girl marrying his daugh to a 55-year-old, just to save her from prostitution or slavery. In the world, war and internal disturbance is causing serious hazards for children, both boys and girls,” he informed. “Terrorists have also started using children as a shield, for which earlier adolescents were recruited. Last year, of 15,000 cases of POCSO, only six per cent were prosecuted and only 1 per cent of the culprits penalised,” Satyarthi added.
‘Real independence is in liberation of women’
Kailash Satyarthi attended the Makhanlal Chaturvedi University academic inaugural function. He said real independence lied in the liberation of girls and women from violence. “The governments are not serious towards the education of children. If the amount of only week spent on war is spent on education, the whole scenario can change. To send every child to school only $22 bn is required in a year, but the governments are spending $2 trillion on armies,” he rued. V-C Brij Kishore Kuthiala asked the students to pledge that along with employment and career they should also come forward for the betterment of the nation.