Russia-Ukraine war, food crises pushing children into chronic poverty: Kailash Satyarthi

A host of factors like the Covid-19 pandemic, global warming, fuel and food crisis, coupled with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, have made the lives of children across the globe harder, said Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi while speaking at the 42nd Foundation Day celebrations at Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management (deemed to be) University in Visakhapatnam where he was honoured.

“The pandemic has not yet gone. There were already some existing crises — fuel crisis, food crisis, global warming — that has pushed children into chronic poverty globally. In addition to it, Russia Ukraine war has pushed another 40-45 million children into chronic poverty,” said Satyarthi, while raising caution about the well-being of children amid the testing times. Satyarthi further added that there are places in the world where children are being trafficked for prices lesser than that of cattle and such instances are on the rise.

The Nobel Laureate went on to elaborate how the Covid-19 pandemic catalysed the loss of livelihoods and children ultimately, had to bear the brunt of aggravated social evils like child marriage, which is still prevalent in certain places.  In March 2020, when the nationwide lockdown was announced, India witnessed a mass exodus of migrant workers who were forced to leave cities and head back to their hometowns after losing their jobs and source of livelihood. Satyarthi said that children of such migrant workers were the most vulnerable to perils like child labour, slavery, child marriages and even trafficking.

 “Some of the migrant workers who returned home or who lost livelihood for two years or so, their children were most vulnerable to child labour, trafficking, slavery and child marriages. I personally met and spoke to many children and their fathers who said. ‘We wanted to marry our daughter at the age of 12 because we have no other option. At least we will save some food at home for the younger ones’. This is a global issue and has to be challenged and solved with a deeper sense of compassion, ” said Satyarthi.

Satyarthi in his address went on to emphasise the need for compassion in these testing times and how India can play a role in this by globalising compassion. 

“We have globalized economies, markets, production supply chains, and information technology, but this is the time India should take a lead to globalise its core value: Compassion. India should globalise compassion. Compassion is the feeling for suffering of others as your own suffering with a drive, with a quest, with an urgency to end that suffering of others as your own suffering. It means you have to find ideas solutions, take initiatives and risks and show your leadership,” added Satyarthi.