The 2023 Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labour has been presented to Lalitha Natarajan by the US Department of Labour. Lalitha Natarajan is an activist and lawyer based in Chennai. At a ceremony on May 30 at the US Consulate General in Chennai, Lalitha received the award from Consul General Judith Ravin.
She is a pioneer in the fight to end child labour that is increasingly exploited in the southern part of India. She specifically identifies those children who have been forced into bonded labour and helps them to live an independent life in society at the US Consulate in Chennai.
In addition to this, Lalitha makes sure that the victims receive compensation under the Child Labour Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. As a member of the Child Welfare Committee (North Zone), under the Department of Social Defence, Tamil Nadu she not only campaigns against child labour but also helps those people who have experienced domestic violence and sexual assault with legal and counselling services.
