Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi says he is optimistic that child labor can be abolished, stressing that the world’s youth are essential partners in the fight.
“There is a serious problem of child labour and slavery does exist in the world in its cruelest forms. But abolition of slavery and child labour is possible, it is in our reach, so there is hope,” he said.
Satyarthi has campaigned against child labor, child trafficking, and child sexual abuse for decades, and his work is now being featured in a new YouTube Original documentary titled “The Price of Free.” It will premiere on the platform globally on November 27.
The New Indian Express reports:
The film follows the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and his team as they undertake secret and dangerous raids to rescue children forced into slavery and abuse as well as documents daring quests to find missing children.
The 90-minute YouTube Original feature length documentary premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the US Documentary Grand Jury Prize.
It is directed by Derek Doneen and produced by Davis Guggenheim (‘An Inconvenient Truth’, ‘He Named Me Malala’).
Satyarthi said over the last 17 years, global efforts have led to a decline in number of child labourers from 260 million to 152 million.
“It is possible to complete wipe it out. We are on the right track,” he said, adding that the documentary will help in putting efforts to beat child slavery on a much faster track.
Satyarthi says this film is not just about India, but rather the global problem of child labor. The film has already been screened to millions of young people in the hopes of raising awareness of the complex problem.
“People should become the partner to bring a change in the lives of all these children. My faith is in the young people. The youth should take charge,” he added.
“They should not look for leaders and heroes outside. There is a hero inside each of the children who are freed and who are still child labourers.”
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