Razia Sultana
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
A profile
From the archives of The Times of India
INDIA’S OWN MALALA
UN edu award for UP’s Razia on Malala Day
Rakhi Chakrabarty, TNN
July 13, 2013
Razia Sultana, a teenager from a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut, was awarded the United Nations’ Special Envoy for Global Education’s Youth Courage Award for Education on Friday. The award is for her efforts to liberate 48 children from child labour bondage and motivate them to go to school. On Friday, the world learnt about Razia’s struggle as she recounted her tale to youth delegates from across the world in New York. The day, too, has a special significance — it is observed by the UN as Malala Day to emulate Pakistani child activist Malala Yousafzai’s fight for education. Razia, named after India’s first woman ruler, too, has been fighting an uphill battle at Nanglakhumba village. Most denizens are predominantly Muslims and eke out a living by stitching footballs. Razia, the eldest of two sisters and two brothers, too, stitched footballs with her family members to supplement her factory worker father’s meagre income. In 2005, Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA)activists initiated a programme to make the village child-friendly. “We would visit the villages and explain the importance of education and rights of a child,” said Rakesh Senger of the BBA. Parents refused to allow the children to go to school. It was more difficult Razia’s father had also refused to send her to school. It took Razia two years to break the shackles of child labour. Later, she was elected as the head of bal panchayat and later she became the leader of the National Children’s Parliament . Razia began campaigning in the village for children’s education and their rights. A flurry of complaints by villagers to her father followed. Villagers complained that Razia was a bad influence on their children. But, the teenager was undeterred.
