Kailash Satyarthi, Malala Yousafzay share Peace Nobel

The Nobel Peace Prize 2014 has been awarded jointly to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzay,  both from the Indian subcontinent, "for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education."

Malala Yousafzai becomes the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She was catapulted to international fame after being shot by the Taliban in Pakistan - because of her campaign for girls' education.

Satyarthi, who runs the `Bachpan Bachao Andolan', had maintained Gandhi's tradition and headed various forms of protests and demonstrations, all peaceful, focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain, the committee said.

''The Nobel Committee regards it as an important point for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism,'' the Nobel committee said in a press release.

Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzay led relentless struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.

Seventeen-year-old Malala Yusoufzai, who was shot at by the Taliban in 2012 for protesting against curbs on girls attending school in her town in the Swat Valley, is the youngest recipient and Pakistan's first Nobel laureate. Her remarkable story of courage and survival has moved millions across the world.

The committee said Malala had shown by example that children and young people, too, can contribute to improving their own situations. "This she has done under the most dangerous circumstance. Through her heroic struggle she has become a leading spokesperson for girls' rights to education," said the jury.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif congratulated teenage education campaigner Malala Yousafzai on winning the Nobel Peace Prize, calling her the ''pride'' of his country. ''She is (the) pride of Pakistan. She has made her countrymen proud. Her achievement is unparalleled and unequalled. Girls and boys of the world should take the lead from her struggle and commitment,'' he said in a statement.

Children must go to school and not be financially exploited. In the poor countries of the world, 60 per cent of the present population is under 25 years of age. It is a prerequisite for peaceful global development that the rights of children and young people be respected. In conflict-ridden areas in particular, the violation of children leads to the continuation of violence from generation to generation.

The founder of the Nobel Prizes, Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, said the prize should be given to "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

''Many other individuals and institutions in the international community have also contributed. It has been calculated that there are 168 million child labourers around the world today. In 2000 the figure was 78 million higher. The world has come closer to the goal of eliminating child labour.''