By Matters India Reporter
New Delhi, July 2, 2020: A child laborer rescued by Noble Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi’s team from Jharkhand’s mines has received the prestigious Diana Award 2020.
Neeraj Murmu received the award on July 2 during a virtual ceremony. The award was instituted to keep alive the memory of the late Princess of Wales, a philanthropist who died in 1007 in a car accident in Paris. Diana’ two sons, — the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex – support the award.
Murmu, 21, was chosen for bringing positive changes in society.
Satyarthi’s Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA, save childhood campaign) rescued the Santhal tribal boy in 2011 from the mica mines in Giridih district. The campaign helped Duliyakaram, Murmu’s village, to become child friendly (Bal Mitra Gram), a pertinent program of Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation
P Nagasayee Malathy, executive director (programs) of Bal Mitra Gram (BMG), congratulated Murmu and said, “We are proud that he has taken up great initiatives such as promoting education among former child laborers. He is a role model for many children in our BMGs where each child is a strong leader and are empowered to assert their rights and fight for their village development alongside adults.”
BMG is a grassroots initiative that promotes child-centric village development programs where children play the key role. It aims to build safety nets around children by providing them access to quality education. It ensures that children are not employed, married early or exploited, by empowering parents and communities.
They also educate villagers about children’s rights and involve everyone in the community to safeguard children’s safety and freedom.
After his rescue, Murmu attended school and pledged to end child labor in his village. He set up a local school that gave all children access education. Murmu has not only helped educate 200 poor children of his village but rescued 20 child laborers from mica mining and enrolled them in his school.
He shares in classes his experience as a child labor.
As a member of a local youth group, he encourages children to follow their dreams and motivates them to achieve them. His work assumes significance as Jharkhand has high school dropouts.
Under his leadership, many socioeconomic issues related to his village have been addressed. They include withdrawing children involved in work and enrolling them in school. He has helped install hand pumps in villages, brought electricity to houses and provided cooking gas connections through linking with government schemes.
Three years after his rescue, Murmu traveled to Tamil Nadu to persuade four under-aged boys from Jharkhand who had migrated there in search of jobs. He counselled them and successfully enrolled them in a local college. Murmu also counsels parents of rescued children and seeks their support in making their villages safe space for children.
Murmu has led several rallies and campaigns aimed at highlighting the importance of education. This caused a spike in enrollments in local government schools. Some children spearhead positive change in their villages in Giridih.