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Home Stories 2006, Om Prakash Gurjar (14), India

2006, Om Prakash Gurjar (14), India

Om Prakash grew up in a small, rural village in India. When he was only 5 years old he was forced to work on a farm. Om Prakash his father was indebted to his landlord, that is why Om Prakash and his whole family were forced to work on his land. Om Prakash received only two meals a day and got beaten on a regular basis – even for little mistakes. Because Om Prakash was forced to work, he couldn’t further his education.

When Om Prakash was 8 years old, he was saved by the organization of Kailash Satyarthi, winner of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. This organization, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, also started to teach Om Prakash  about children’s rights. Om Prakash got to go back to school and he learned to play and to celebrate his birthday for the first time in his life.

Om Prakash believes it is important that children can go to school, are allowed to play, and are not forced to work. His  greatest ambition  is to professionalize  his local  changemaking  activities  and continue supporting  underprivileged children  in the field of education.

Child slavery  and  exploitation  are the daily reality for millions of children in India  . These children work under poor conditions and become victims of abuse and maltreatment. By ‘child labour’, KidsRights understands all forms of work that interfere with the right to formal, regular day education and/or that are harmful to both the health and development of a child up to the age of 15.

Om Prakash’ actions

Om Prakash wanted to continue to learn and went to a public school. Here he advocated for the rights of other children. He created new activities to create awareness for children’s rights and educated parents on the importance of education for children. He convinced parents that children shouldn’t work and that they should go to school.

Child slavery  and  exploitation  are the daily reality for millions of children in India  . These children work under poor conditions and become victims of abuse and maltreatment. By ‘child labour’, KidsRights understands all forms of work that interfere with the right to formal, regular day education and/or that are harmful to both the health and development of a child up to the age of 15.

Child Parliament

At 12 years old, Om Prakash was elected chair of the Child Parliament of his school. He took action when his school sought fees from the parents of the students. He assured that the public schools of India would stay free. Om Prakash went to court and they ruled in his favor. The school had to pay back all the fees that had been paid.

Birth certificates

In addition to the right to education, Om Prakash advocates for the right to an identity. He started a campaign to get children registered and give them a birth certificate. Without a birth certificate, they cannot advocate for their rights and are not protected when these rights are not adhered.

"If a bonded child laborer like me could see a dream of a world free from exploitation, so why not you?"

- OM PRAKASH, 2006 INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S PEACE PRIZE WINNER

Om Prakash's Story

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