Children's Heroes

Cecilia, Murhabazi and Monira in the Town Square, Mariefred

Cecilia Flores-Oebanda looks like someone who you would meet in the supermarket. She has an open face which is often lit up with a friendly smile. You would be surprised to hear of the life of struggle that she has lived.  She is from an extremely poor family in the Philippines, and as a young child, sold fish that her father caught in the river and along with her 10 siblings, searched the garbage dump for things for her family to sell to supplement their income.

At a young age she became active in the struggle for human rights under the dictatorship of Marcos - a struggle that included living in the mountains as a guerrilla, and spent four years in prison with her children. After the dictator was overthrown, Cecilia continued to fight for the rights of children, specifically to end child labour and trafficking.

Cecilia was just one of the very inspiring people I met at the WCPRC awards this year. Cecilia was honoured for her 20-year struggle with the World’s Children’s Honorary Award. In her acceptance speech she said that she was ‘energised and ready for the battlefield...to wage war against trafficking”.

I was fortunate to sit with her at dinner that evening and across the table she shared some of her fight for the rights of children. Her warmth and passion is evident in everything she says and does. At first glance she looks soft around the edges but underneath is a steely passion for what she does and in her determination to take the struggle around the world. She has received numerous other awards and will be participating in the UN discussion around children trafficking.

Cecilia urged us to take the children from “exploitation to empowerment” and to fight for the dignity of every child. She reminded us that we are entrusting the future of humanity to children. 

Murhabazi Namegabe from the Congo has saved thousands of children who were abducted and forced to become soldiers. He has been imprisoned and assaulted and lives with constant death threats. His organisation runs 35 homes and schools for children.  Murhabazi was chosen as the Children’s Rights Hero for 2011. Accompanying him was Faida, a girl who broke my heart. She is barely 15 years old and yet has lived a life of horrendous suffering. Captured at 11 years by one of the many armed groups operating in DR Congo, she was forced to become a sex slave as well as a soldier. Murhabazi went back to negotiate with the soldiers three times before they released her. She says simply that “he did what a father would do for me”.

Faida arrived the day before the ceremony because of problems with her visa and standing up to accept the award with Murhabazi must have been completely overwhelming. Here she was in a Scandinavian castle in the presence of Queen Silvia, and unable to understand a word that was being said. Her eyes had the haunted look of someone who has seen too much.

Monira Rahman is a strong, confident woman from Bangladesh. She runs a foundation for people, mainly girls, who are victims of acid attacks. The children of the world voted for her to receive the Honorary Award along with Cecilia.

Magnus Bergmar with jury members Ofek and Hamoudi

The children on the jury are all experts on child rights through their own experiences. I remember Ofek from Israel the first time I went to the awards. Then, as a 15 year old he stood up along with fellow-juror, Omar from Palestine and together they told us that they were tired of living under conflict conditions. Now he is retiring from the jury and in his short but profound speech he spoke as “the Jewish grandson of Holocaust survivors” of his hope that “the world would find more words for peace than war”. “I tell you that peace is possible,” he ended.

These are real heroes - people who inspire us to live better lives, who teach us the true meaning of being compassionate and honorable. Follow these links to read more about them:


Cecilia Flores-Oebanda
Monira Rahman
Murhabazi Namegabe