Kailash Satyarthi

Biography

Kailash Satyarthi, born on January 11, 1954, in Vidisha, India, is a social reformer, children's rights activist, and electrical engineer. He has dedicated his life to fighting child labor and promoting educational rights for children around the world. After studying at Samrat Ashok Technological Institute and Barkatullah University, and later being involved with Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Satyarthi decided to leave a conventional engineering career to focus on social activism and child welfare.

In 2014, Satyarthi received global recognition when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai for their fight against child and youth oppression and their efforts to promote education rights. This honor marked decades of grassroots activism that began in the 1980s when he founded Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save Childhood Movement), an organization dedicated to rescuing children from exploitation such as labor, slavery, and trafficking.

One of Satyarthi's biggest initiatives was the 1998 Global March Against Child Labour, an international campaign that covered 80,000 kilometers across 103 countries. This huge social movement brought together children, trafficking survivors, and activists to call for global action against severe forms of child labor. The march's impact was significant, directly leading to the drafting of ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, which was unanimously adopted at the International Labour Organization Conference in Geneva the next year.

Throughout his career, Satyarthi has started multiple organizations including the Global Campaign for Education, Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation, Bal Ashram Trust, and the Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion. His work with Bachpan Bachao Andolan has led to the rescue of more than 130,000 children from exploitative conditions across India. Beyond rescue missions, his organizations focus on rehabilitation, education, and reintegration of freed children into society, often providing them with vocational training and psychological support to help them rebuild their lives.