Satyarthi urges faith leaders' support against child abuse

Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi has sought support of religious leaders across different faiths here for his fight against child sexual abuse, saying it blurs the lines between region and religion.

Satyarthi on Wednesday met spiritual leaders of Islam, Hinduism, Christianity and Sikhism.

"Every religious head I have spoken with, every faith leader I have met, has expressed support and a true willingness to fight for children," he said.

"This is the beauty of religious diversity in India as they endorse my view that child sexual abuse and trafficking is an issue which blurs the boundaries of region and religion as we must come together to fight against these heinous crimes," he said.

He said that he would continue to seek support and speak with faith leaders in states across India to further his mission and vision of an India which is safe for children.

During the meeting, he highlighted that this issue must be considered above the confines of religion. "In a land of such religious diversity as India, all faith leaders must come together and unite their beliefs on this issue," he said.

He feels that with numerous followers and disciples of these leaders, power of religion can herald a revolution and incite a mass awakening.

"Faith leaders command the trust and faith of millions of people around the country and they must work towards sensitising them, creating awareness and ultimately finding solutions to the evil of child abuse."

He said that such incidents involving children are excruciating and the perpetrators must be labelled as criminals and treated accordingly.

Father Cosmos Shekhawat agreed and said: "There is an urgent need to raise our voice against this crime."

"Forcing children to work and threatening them, is choking any chance at securing a normal childhood for them. We are with Satyarthi and assure him that he has the support of each and every person in this society for his cause."

Satyarthi had last month held a roundtable meeting with faith leaders in the capital to discuss their views and their views of their religion on the best way to combat the growing menace of violence against children.

The Ajmer meeting was a follow-up to the roundtable.

--IANS

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