Lalitha Natarajan wins US labor department’s prestigious award

Chennai’s powerful child rights advocate wins 2023 Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor

Chennai-based child rights advocate Lalitha Natarajan has won the US Department of Labor’s 2023 Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor.

The US Consul General Judith Ravin presented the prestigious award to Natarajan at a ceremony attended by children’s rights advocates at the US Consulate General in Chennai on May 30, according to a press release.

“The battle against bonded labor is a high priority for the US government and the American people,” Ravin said. “Today we have the special privilege of presenting the United States Department of Labor’s 2023 Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor to Lalitha Natarajan, who is a true champion.”

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“Her courageous efforts have contributed to obtaining social justice for India’s young people and most vulnerable populations,” she said.

“For over two decades, she has rescued children from forced labor in various industrial sectors across the state of Tamil Nadu, ranging from stone quarries to food processing factories to handloom mills.”

“This award recognizes the life work of Lalitha Natarajan that has brought real change to the lives of hundreds of Indian children,” Ravin added.

Natarajan said, “I feel honored to receive the prestigious Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor from the US Department of Labor. This award will further motivate me to work for the cause of children.”

“As a member of the Child Welfare Committee, I work closely with various State and Central government departments, judiciary, and police to ensure child rights offenders are convicted,” she said.

“For this reason, I engage with human rights institutions to ensure that the First Information Report (FIR) is registered by the police, ensuring that the crime is indeed recognized,” Natarajan said. “I especially want to recognize the child survivors of trafficking and bonded labor that I have fought for over many years and wish them peace.”

Natarajan has worked throughout her career as a lawyer and activist to apply rights-based approaches to child labor, according to the consulate release.

As a leader in the fight to end exploitative child labor in southern India, she identifies child victims of trafficking, specifically bonded labor, assisting in their re-integration into society.

As a member of the Child Welfare Committee (North Zone), under the Department of Social Defense, Government of Tamil Nadu, she ensures victims receive compensation under the Child Labor Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).

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Besides working on child labor issues, Natarajan also provides legal and counseling support to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

The Iqbal Masih Award is a US Congress-mandated, non-monetary award established by the Secretary of Labor in 2008 that honors extraordinary contributions to combat child labor.

The Iqbal Masih Award honors its namesake – a Pakistani child sold into slavery as a carpet weaver at age 4 who escaped his captors at 10.

Iqbal Masih became an outspoken public advocate against child exploitation for which he received numerous human rights awards until he was tragically killed in 1995 at the age of 12.

The award commemorates the World Day Against Child Labor that is observed on June 12 every year to raise awareness and activism to prevent child labor.