In a pleasant surprise, 17-year-old Malala Yousafzai and 60-year-old Kailash Satyarthi have stolen the limelight by jointly winning the Nobel Peace Prize 2014 for their courageous fight for child rights.
Malala started to speak out for girls' rights at the age of 11 when the Taliban banned girls from going to school in the Swat Valley in Pakistan. Malala defied the diktat and kept going to school. Her life was under threat and at times she had to go into hiding. Finally, at the age of 15, Malala was shot and almost killed by the Taliban on her way home from school. But the brave girl survived, thanks to the well-timed help and necessary assistance extended by the governments of Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
The Taliban's intention was to silence Malala by killing her. However, their attempt to kill Malala proved to be a blessing in disguise and gave her an even stronger voice, which can now be heard all over the world. Malala is determined to continue her struggle for every child's right to education. She believes that education is the future, and that "one child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world." She has her own fund, the Malala Fund, which was created to help girls get to school.
Speaking after finishing the school day at Edgbaston High School for Girls, in Birmingham, Malala said: "My message to children all around the world is that they should stand up for their rights." She added: "I felt more powerful and more courageous because this award is not just a piece of metal or a medal you wear or an award you keep in your room. This is encouragement for me to go forward."
In a statement, the 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", the Nobel Committee said in a statement. "This she has done under the most dangerous circumstances. Through her heroic struggle she has become a leading spokesperson for girls' rights to education."
Malala narrated how she had completed the rest of her school day after learning she had won the prize. "When I found I had won the Nobel Peace Prize I decided I would not leave my school, rather I would finish my school time," she said. "I went to the physics lessons, I learned. I went to the English lesson. I considered it like a normal day. I was really happy with the response of my teachers and my fellow students. They were all saying they were proud."
Satyarthi, the Nobel committee said, had maintained the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and headed various forms of peaceful protests. "Showing great personal courage, Kailash Satyarthi, maintaining Gandhi's tradition, has headed various forms of protests and demonstrations, all peaceful, focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain," the committee said. "He has also contributed to the development of important international conventions on children's rights."
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".
Satyarthi dedicated his prize to children in slavery, telling CNN-IBN: "It's an honour to all those children who are still suffering in slavery, bonded labour and trafficking."
He founded "Bachpan Bachao Andolan" (the Save the Childhood Movement) in 1980 and has acted to protect the rights of 80,000 children. "It's an honour to all my fellow Indians. I am thankful to all those who have been supporting my striving for more than the last 30 years," he said. He asserted that a lot of credits go to the Indians who fight to keep democracy so alive and so vibrant where he was able to keep his mission on.
Pertinently, there are over 57 million children in Bangladesh and that's about the size of the entire population of the United Kingdom, numbering 64 million. The child rights scenario in Bangladesh, particularly that relating to child labour, is rather alarming. Bangladesh continues to engage child labour in agriculture and in services. In addition, the government's Child Labour Unit is no longer functioning. Children working in the informal sector lack protection; and the 'Domestic workers protection and welfare policy' has yet to be approved. According to UNESCO Institute of Statistics, child labour vis-à -vis education scenario in Bangladesh could be described as follows:
 Although Bangladesh has a stable and growing economy, half of these children continue to live below the international poverty line. Protection, health, education, nutrition, safe water and hygiene are the basic rights for all children. Children in Bangladesh face a range of difficult issues that hamper their survival and development, and prevent the full realisation of their rights and potential. In this respect, children in this country too have to go a long way to face the challenges.
Obviously, Malala and Satyarthi could be our role models, especially for the child rights activists. The younger generation might get a lot of   inspiration from them.
We should feel proud that the two Nobel Peace Prize winners belong to our part of the world, the sub-continent.
hafeej2002@yahoo.com