Kolkata students rally on World Humanitarian Day eve

Kolkata - Amidst a chorus of Michael Jackson's "We are the World", around 2,000 students took to the streets here on the eve of World Humanitarian Day to spread awareness on crimes and atrocities against the girl child and women.

The students from the Ashok Hall Group - comprising those from Mahadevi Birla Shishu Vihar, Ashok Hall Girls' H.S. School, and G.D. Birla Centre for Education - took out the rally with pink balloons shaped to resemble V symbol, the peace gesture.

"We want people to realise the gravity of the situation related to child abuse and child labour," said a 13-year-old student of the Ashok Hall Girls Higher Secondary School, holding a placard that read "Spare Me".

World peace was also on the agenda with slogans of "Humanity can't survive without love and compassion" written on bright pink placards.

Encouraging the children on were scores of enthusiastic teachers and the principals of their schools.

"We wanted to commemorate World Humanitarian Day by spreading awareness against issues related to girl child and women via the children who are the future citizens," said Patralekha Ghosh, principal of Ashok Hall Girls' Higher Secondary School.

Seconding her, Sharmila Nath, the principal of G.D. Birla Centre for Education, added: "We want to prepare these kids today so that they can in turn generate awareness for their next generation."

World Humanitarian Day, established by the UN General Assembly in December 2008, is held on Aug 19 each year since 2009. World Humanitarian Day is a global celebration of people helping people.