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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
15 June 2004
CONTACT:
Hemlal Kafle (202) 463-7575 x 240 or hkafle@rfkmemorial.org
Kailash Satyarthi, Child Labor Activist, Brutally Attacked in India
Owners of the Great Roman Circus brutally attacked a delegation led by renowned child labor activist Kailash Satyarthi during an inspection of the circusís campground in Colonelganj in the Gonda District of North India yesterday.
Acting on reports that the Circus was exploiting and mistreating hundreds of children, Mr. Satyarthi obtained permission from the Indian National Human Rights Commission to lead a group of activists and concerned parents in a surprise investigation of the circus facilities. The District Administration reluctantly assigned the Sub-Divisional Magistrate to accompany them. It is reported by Mr. Satyarthiís organization that the accompanying members of the district administration, rather than protecting the team and facilitating the investigation, ìconnived with the circus owner to offset the exercise.î
Upon arrival at the campground, Mr. Satyarthi and his colleagues were surrounded by a group of men led by the Circus owners. The men brutally attacked the entire team with knives, pistols and iron rods. Mr. Satyarthi sustained multiple blows to the head, significant blood loss and a fractured leg. He remains hospitalized but in stable condition in Lucknow, India. Other members of the investigation team, including Mr. Satyarthiís son and a foreign female journalist, suffered serious injuries as well.
Several of the children the investigation was intended to liberate remain under the control of the Circus. Several parents have been taken captive as well. The Circus owner has openly threatened to eliminate Kailash Satyarthi.
In this context, the RFK Center for Human Rights and the friends, allies, and civil society partners of Mr. Satyarthi ask the Government of India to provide immediate security to Mr. Satyarthi and take action against his attackers, both for their exploitation of child labor and their brutal attacks on citizens.
Kailash Satyarthi is the founder and leader of the Global March Against Child Labor, and the chair of the Global Campaign for Education. He was the winner of the 1995 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award. Established in 1984, the Award honors creative individuals who are, often at great personal risk, engaged in strategic and nonviolent efforts to overcome serious human rights violations. The RFK Center for Human Rights strives to enhance the capacity of its laureates by helping marshal the resources necessary for them to work more effectively, increasing the impact of their efforts, and sharing the lessons of their endeavors with the international community. There are currently thirty-four RFK Human Rights Award laureates working in 20 countries around the world.
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