Malala Yousafzai
We MUST End Child Labour
“The World is presently not a total disaster because few good people refuse to keep silent.”…. Lotenna Olisa
That is a quote by me and it was inspired by the work of the joint winners of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi who have both struggling to promote the rights of children around the globe.
In most countries, particularly African, Asian and Carribean countries, young children are subjected to various forms of child labour and in most cases, this robs them of getting an education. Child labour I’m talking about here includes street hawking, apprenticeship, prostitution and even fighting as soldiers. These young children are usually forced or have no choice. They are either trying to complement what their very poor parents earn or are simply being used. That is why it is very necessary for us to take it upon ourselves to speak for them, to fight for them, just like the Nobel Peace Prize winners for this year are doing.
There are about 168 million children around the world subjected to various form of child labour, some of them constituting child abuse. Most are involved in work so hazardous – such as in mines, as child soldiers, or involving dangerous chemicals or drugs that directly endangers their health, safety, and development The rest are toiling in places such as farms, other families’ homes, or factories. The most painful of all, to me, is the innocent children subject to the mental torture and traumatic experiences that serving as child soldiers bring. Imaging little children, some under the age of twelve, forced to carry guns, take up weapons and engage in deadly combat which most of them don’t survive. The one that do are most likely scarred for life. Is this not the height of inhumanity?!
Another disheartening statistics: 121 million children around the world are out of school. Some factors that contribute to this are child labour, discriminatory policies against the female child, early marriage which is the culture of some groups, especially in Africa, attacks on schools by militant groups, as seen in Nigeria, Syria, Pakistan and the Philippines, sexual harrasment in schools, amongst others. The very sad reality is that these children are deprived of education and this limits their opportunities and they end up not contributing effectively to the society as they should if they have been educated. Most of them end up poor.
Child labor may look like a short-term solution to economic hardship, but it’s actually a cause of poverty. People who start work as children end up with less education and lower earnings as adults. They are then more likely to send their own children to work, perpetuating the cycle of poverty from generation to generation.
An internationally agreed-upon timetable to end the worst forms of child labor by 2016 is lagging. We should make it a priority. No child deserves to suffer or be deprived of a good future. Governments must take the fight against child labour and other forms of child abuse very seriously. Children are supposed to be the hope of any nation but imagine a situation where the children themselves are hopeless.
God bless activists and campaigners around the world who have refused to keep silent and are fighting tirelessly to end child labour and child abuse around the world. We all have a part to play. If we all speak out, we have a greater chance of being heard. #EndChildLabourToday
Malala Yousafzai meets Nigerian President
The remarkable 17year old child education activist from Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai visited Nigeria to physically lend her voice and influence to the #Bringbackourgirls campaign for hundreds of school girls abducted by Nigeria’s radical Islamic sect, Boko Haram in Chibok, Born state.
She celebrated her 17th birthday in Nigeria and met with parents of the abducted girls in Chibok.
Malala, whose story is similar to that of the abducted girls was targeted and nearly murdered by the Pakistani terrorist group, Taliban, for publicly speaking in support of education for the girl child.
Malala met with Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan who assured Hehe that the Federal Government is doing everything possible to bring the girls back. President Jonathan, who has never visited Chibok since the incident or met with any of the parents, on Malala’s persuasion, promised to meet with the parents of the abducted girls.
However, President Jonathan cancelled the meeting, saying that the #Bringbackourgirls campaigners have politicized the issue and have persuaded the parents not to attend the meeting. The Presidency later said that it was the parents who actually cancelled the meeting, an allegation the parents denied. Another meeting has been scheduled for 21st July.
I sincerely thank Malala for visiting my country, Nigeria to show her support. I was happy to hear her call the girls ‘my sisters’. It shows their parents that they aren’t alone in the struggle. I constantly think of the agony the parents of the abducted girls are passing through and it continuously breaks my heart.
Meanwhile, Boko Haram has continued to wreck more havoc on the country’s North East: killings, more kidnappings, burning of villages, attacks on churches…
Malala Yousafzai Visits Nigeria over the Kidnapped girls
I was tremendously excited when I heard that the incredible and award winning child education activist, Malala Yousafzai will be visiting Nigeria to show support for the #bringbackourgirls campaign. The girls abducted by Nigeria’s radical Boko Haram have been gone for more than three months now.
The Pakistani activist, who turns 17 on Monday, held an early birthday celebration with some of the girls who escaped the mass abduction in the north-eastern village of Chibok in April. “I can see those girls as my sisters… and I’m going to speak up for them until they are released,” she said during a meeting on Sundaywith some of the parents of then abducted children in the capital, Abuja. “I’m going to participate actively in [the] Bring Back Our Girls campaign to make sure that they return safely.”
Later, standing beside four visibly delighted children from Chibok, she blew out the candles of a birthday cake.
I admire and respect Malala so much. Being just a few months older than her, I’m so inspired by her large heart and great works which have received a lot of recognition. This young fighter actually went to Chibok despite the insecurity. Of course, I’m not so surprised. Someone who could really challenge the Taliban is truly a fearless fighter!
I couldn’t however agree more with Malala. We can’t keep silent. We can’t sweep this away! Our innocent girls are still missing! The Nigerian government must wake up and do something.
#BringBackOurGirls
Malala Yousafzai: A young girl on a mission
I have a great admiration for the young Pakistani girl activist, Malala Yousafzai. I get so inspired watching or reading about her remarkable works and acheivements at such a young age.
Malala was born in Mingora, Pakistan on 12th July, 1997. She is a blogger and fierce activist for girls rights to education in Pakistan and around the world.
HER STORY
Malala Yousafzai actively spoke up since a very young age of 11 about the Taliban’s efforts to prevent young girls in Pakistan from getting an education. (The Taliban is a radical Islamic terrorist organization operating in Pakistan that banned girls education and attacked schools were girls learned). In early 2009, at the age of 11–12, despite the immense danger, she agreed to write for the BBC detailing her life under Taliban rule, their attempts to take control of the Swat valley where she lived, and her views on promoting education. In 2008, while addressing a Local press club, Malala, she said, “how dare the Taliban attempt to take away my right to education…” in a speech that was widely televised around the region. Malala, the fearless young girl continued her activisim despite repeatedly receiving death threats from the radical Taliban.
In the afternoon of Tuesday, 9 October 2012, Malala boarded her school bus in the northwest Pakistani district of Swat. A gunman asked for Malala by name, then pointed a gun at her and fired three shots. One bullet hit the left side of Malala’s forehead, traveled under her skin the length of her face and then into her shoulder.
In the days immediately following the attack, she remained unconscious and in critical condition, but later her condition improved enough for her to be sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England for intensive rehabilitation.
Malala recovered remarkably and continued her activism relentlessly. Since then, she has attracted a lot of attention from the world and gained my admiration. She has received numerous awards and nominations. In 29 April 2013 issue of Time magazine, Malala was featured on the magazine’s
front cover and as one of “The 100 Most Influential People in the World”. She was the winner of Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize and was nominated for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize. She was the youngest person (at
age 16) to be nominated for it.
On 12 July 2013, She spoke at the UN to calling for worldwide access to education, and in September 2013 she officially opened the Library of Birmingham. She received the 2013 Sakharov Prize from the European Parliament. She has also received a Honorary citizenship from the Canadian Government. In February 2014, she was nominated a second time for the Nobel Peace Prize and for the World Children’s prize in Sweden.
Malala has also met the Queen. She presented the Queen with her book, “I Am Malala”.
The remarkable Malala established the Malala Fund that supports thousands of girls around the world in their dreams to get a good education. The Star actress, Philanthropist, Angelina Jolie donated $200,000 in support of the fund.
…showing support to girls around the world…
In february this year, Malala travelled to a Syrian refugee camo in Jordan to show support to a young Syrian girl, Mizune, trying to get children back to school .
More recently, she supported the bring back our girls campaign in Nigeria. The campaign is aimed at trying to bring back girls kidnapped by a radical islamic group, Boko Haram who are against Education.
Malala is truly on a mission and she’s entirely focused. I respect and admire the courage of this young girl who has made herself the voice of millions of girls in the world, especially in developing countries, who are deprived of education. Being just about two months older than Malala and sharing similar visions with her, I am tremendously inspired by her work and achievement.
Education is a basic human right for children and no one should have the power to take it away from them. No one should have the power to snatch away the dreams of these young children.
… and as Malala will say, “give the children a book and a pen, therein lies their strength.”
Lotenna Blog 