Each time I free a child, I feel it is something closer to God.
I dream for a world which is free of child labour, a world in which every child goes to school. A world in which every child gets his rights.
Today, I see thousands of Mahatma Gandhis, Martin Luther Kings, and Nelson Mandelas marching forward and calling on us. The boys and girls have joined. I have joined in. We ask you to join, too.
I never go to temples, but when I see a child, I see God in them.
I am thankful to the Nobel committee for recognising the plight of millions of children who are suffering in this modern age.
I am really honoured, but if the prize had gone to Mahatma Gandhi before me, I would have been more honoured.
We as the governments, workers, employers and civil society must declare a war on child labour. This war cannot be won without strong, committed, coherent, and well-resourced worldwide movement. Equally needed is a genuine and active coordination between intergovernmental agencies at the highest level.
I have been very strongly advocating that poverty must not be used as an excuse to continue child labour. It perpetuates poverty. If children are deprived of education, they remain poor.
If you keep on buying things made by child slaves in such conditions, you are equally responsible for the perpetration of slavery.
India may be a land of over a 100 problems, but it is also a place for a billion solutions.
For me, peace is a fundamental human right of every child; it is inevitable and divine.
The fight against child slavery is the fight against traditional mindset, policy deficit, and lack of accountability and urgency for children across the globe.
Denial of childhood and denial of freedom are the biggest sins which humankind has been committing and perpetuating for ages.
As the anti-slavery community, we must together ensure that this attention is transferred into concrete action and results.
I call for a march from exploitation to education, from poverty to shared prosperity, a march from slavery to liberty, and a march from violence to peace.
I have come here only to share the voices and dreams of our children - because they are all our children.
From my own experience, I want to say that you should follow your heart, and the mind will follow you. Believe in yourself, and you will create miracles.
We still have a soft approach on the perpetrators of crimes like worst forms of child labour.
World's children cannot wait any longer. While international community debates and issues recommendations, statements and fine speeches, world's children - marginalised, socially excluded, poor and vulnerable - continue to suffer.
More than 30 years ago, when I had embarked upon the fight against child labour, it was not even considered an issue worth any discussion. It was accepted as a way of life in India, much like it was in other countries. Today, no country or business or society can throw this issue away.
