Paul and Mercy Baskar
Paul and Mercy Baskar

Paul and Mercy Baskar were honored by The World’s Children’s Prize in 2004 for fighting against child labour for over 20 years.

Paul and Mercy Baskar have liberated some 6,000 children from factory work in South India. The children get education, support training and money for their school expenses. Children and adults are taught how dangerous it is for children to work, and how it threatens the environment. Parents get help getting work of their own, so that they can afford to keep their children in school.

Paul, Mercy and their organisation Peace Trust empower children by supporting them in starting children’s rights groups. They try to pressure factory owners into not employing children; they demand that politicians see that the ban on child labour is enforced; and they organise demonstrations against child labour.

Text: Gunilla Hamne
Photos: Kim Naylor

The facts and figures on this page were accurate at the time of writing, in 2004

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