On behalf of the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, CEO Piyushi Kotecha has applauded 2014 Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi for taking the powerful initiative to unite world leaders in support of children during Covid-19 lockdowns and the devastations and traumas that have been unleashed.
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, together with 87 other Nobel Peace Laureates and world leaders, issued a statement today calling on the world’s governments to prioritise children in their responses to the coronavirus pandemic, “or risk losing an entire generation”.
“COVID-19 has exposed and exacerbated pre-existing inequalities in our world. The virus, restrictions placed on the majority of the world’s population, and the aftermath will have a devastating impact on the most vulnerable,” the group of global leaders said.
“The pandemic’s public health emergency is set to exacerbate the exploitation of children. Trapped in homes to escape the virus, children are at greater risk of sexual abuse and domestic violence. As restrictions are lifted, children will be trafficked, forced out of school and into labour, bearing the burden of sustaining their families.
“If, for once, our world gave the most marginalised children and their families their fair share – 20% of the COVID-19 response for the poorest 20% of humanity – the results would be transformative. One trillion dollars would fund all outstanding UN and charity COVID-19 appeals, cancel two years of all debt repayments from low-income countries, and fund two years of the global gap to meet the SDGs on health, water and sanitation, and education. More than ten million lives would be saved.”
The statement was signed by 45 Nobel Laureates and 43 world leaders.