In an exclusive Saturday interview to RIA Novosti (Rossiya Segodnya) the recent Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi said that protecting Ukrainian citizens and especially children, 20 of whom died in bombings in September alone, is a direct responsibility of the Ukrainian authorities. Sergey Dychev and Bijendra Singh of RIA Novosti spoke to Mr. Satyarthi, who has been struggling against child labor since the 1990s and whose Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save Childhood Movement) organization has freed over 80,000 children from various forms of servitude.
On behalf of Rossiya Segodnya we would like to congratulate you on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize 2014.
Kailash Satyarth: Thanks to all the media fraternity for the help and support.
Even after the declaration of ceasefire in Ukraine there are cases of atrocities against civilians and children in particular. For example, last month, over 20 children died as the result of the Ukrainian army bombing. We would like to know your opinion on the issue.
Kailash Satyarthi: Whatever happening in Syria, Ukraine, Palestine is due to political reasons but children are bearing the brunt of these crises. It's very painful that we have not made our place safer for the children. So far, we have not been able to create a world where children will be safe. They are innocent and have nothing to do with violence but often they are on target. We should not only condemn it but also act against it.
It is the responsibility of the Ukrainian government to save their citizens, particularly children. Safety of children will be their utmost priority. I will appeal to Ukrainian government so as to ensure that such incidents against children will not occur in future.
By Bijendra Singh
