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On May 16, 2018, laureate Urmila Chaudhary accepted the Freedom from Fear Award. She received the award for her courage to end the Kamlari system of child slavery. And for her fight for girls' rights, especially their right to education.

Chaudhary herself was exploited as a domestic slave for more than 11 years. Despite the risks to her personal safety, Chaudhary has become a highly influential young woman and human rights activist for local people. By always publicly standing up for the rights of child slaves and the rights of girls in Nepal, Chaudhary has become an inspiration and example to many.

More about Chaudhary

Chaudhary was born within the Tharu tribe in Nepal in 1989. For centuries, children of that tribe have been sold as slaves to rich Nepalis. The children become Kamlari: child slaves. When Chaudhary is six years old, the same thing awaits her as many girls before her. A rich family in Kathmandu buys her. Eleven years later, she manages to break free. Chaudhary is a co-founder of the Freed Kamlari Development Forum (FKDF). This is a Nepalese non-profit organisation that tracks down and rescues child slaves. The FKDF facilitates support and contact between children who went through the same. The FKDF also organises meetings to raise awareness among locals about child labour and the importance of girls' education. In 2019, Chaudhary began her law studies at Kathmandu School of Law. As a lawyer, she aims to ensure that Nepali laws are correctly applied.

Positions and publications

Chaudhary co-wrote the book Slave Child (2011) with Nathalie Schwaiger. Susan Gluth made the documentary Urmila: My Memory is My Power (2016) about Chaudhary.