2014 Nobel Peace Prize Honors Champions for Children
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Protecting the rights of children received worldwide recognition last week. The Norwegian Nobel Committee co-awarded its prestigious Peace Prize to Kaliash Satyarthi of India and Pakistani teenager, Malala Yousafzai. Many saw this pairing as a hopeful sign considering the recent flaring of an ages-old conflict between the two countries who share a common border. Both recipients hope that their awards will generate more attention and resources paid toward the plight of mistreated children all over the world.
Giving Voice to the Voiceless
Of the two recipients, you are probably more familiar with Yousafzai. Last year, btw brought you news of her vicious attack by the Taliban, her recovery and return to school, and her nomination for this award. She gained attention when she was eleven, when the blog she wrote documenting her life as an oppressed girl forbidden to attend school was published by the BBC (British Broadcast Company). After a long recovery, Malala continued her to speak out on behalf of all girls refused education simply because they are girls living under the rule of an oppressive regime.
Satyarthi has received less media attention but equally worthy of our admiration. Trained as an electrical engineer, he gave up his career to focus on putting an end to child labor. His main focus was the exploitation of children for financial gain. In one of his recent writings, Satyarthi said that there are nearly 60 million children subject to inhumane conditions at very young ages. A big problem is that corrupt government officials receive high-dollar bribes to look the other way.
A Legacy of Peace
All of the Nobel Prizes (including those for literature, chemistry, medicine and physics) will be awarded at a ceremony scheduled for December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. Nobel was a chemical engineer who also had also had a love for literature in addition to chemistry and physics. He owned 355 patents, including one for dynamite. By the time he died, in 1896, he had amassed a fortune. He never married and did not have children and left much of his fortune to fund “prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.”
The woman considered to have influenced Nobel’s interest in world peace,” was a former secretary, Bertha von Suttner. Long after their working relationship ended, the two continued to write letters to one another. She became very involved in the peace movement and wrote a book called Lay Down Your Arms that became very popular. She was eventually awarded the prize in 1905.
Becoming a Nobel Laureate (the recipient of honored distinction, typically in an art or science) is a high distinction. Some of our greatest leaders have been awarded the Peace Prize, including:
- Jimmy Carter (2002), for his continuing effort toward promoting human rights and economic development all over the world.
- Nelson Mandela (1993), for his role in abolishing the oppressive rule of apartheid in South Africa.
- Dalai Lama (1989), for his support of nonviolence in the liberation of the people of Tibet under forced Chinese rule.
- Mother Teresa (1979), for her dedication to the “poorest of the poor” through her organization, the Missionaries of Charity in India.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. (1964), for his leadership and accomplishments during the Civil Rights Movement.
- Jane Adams (1931), for her activism against child labor practices. She also helped immigrants through her organization, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.
- Woodrow Wilson (1919), for the impact of establishing the League of Nations, whose mission was to “maintain world peace.”
Organizations can also receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Among them are:
- Doctors Without Borders
- The United Nations
- Amnesty International
- The International Committee of the Red Cross