Kailash Satyarthi

Satyarthi is married and is the father of two grown children, a daughter and a son. His extended family also includes many of the former child labourers that his organizations have rescued.

His works have been covered by several television and radio documentaries and he has been featured in many prominent magazines like ‘Reader’s Digest’, The Time’, ‘Washington Post’, and ‘New York Times’.

On January 8, 2015, Kailash Satyarthi dedicated his Nobel Peace Prize medal to the nation (India). The medal, in 18 carats gold and weighing 196 grams, is kept at Rashtrapati Bhavan (President's House) museum.

Kailash Satyarthi was born on 11 January 1954, in Vidisha, a small town in Madhya Pradesh, a state in India. Even as a child he was a very compassionate individual. He noticed that some children did not go to school like he did and instead worked under harsh conditions to earn money.

Disturbed by the inequalities he witnessed, he decided to do something about it. He asked his classmates to donate textbooks and money to the underprivileged so that the poor kids too got a chance to study.

He studied electrical engineering in a Bhopal college and went on to earn a post-graduate diploma in high-voltage engineering.

After his graduation he began working as an engineer. A lucrative career lay ahead of him but the young man’s heart was not in an engineering job. He wanted to help people, especially the poor children who worked as bonded labourers and thus he quit his job.

He started a journal called ‘The Struggle Shall Continue’ in 1980 in order to create awareness about the problem of child labour. When he learned of a factory in which children were forcibly kept and made to work, he decided it was time to take action.

He joined hands with a group of like-minded people and conducted raids on factories from where he rescued several children and their parents who were held as bonded labourers. This was a dangerous idea and he often got beaten up.

Appalled by the wide-spread nature of the problem he formed the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), a movement dedicated towards eradication of human trafficking and bonded child labour.

Bachpan Bachao Andolan was the first organization of its kind in India which worked to enlighten the society about the rampant evil of child labour and highlighted the importance of rescuing these children and providing them the chance to live a normal and healthy life.

He formed the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), the first organization in India which highlights the issue of child labour and works towards rescuing the children who are forcibly made to work in different industries. His works have so far led to the rescue of several thousands of child labourers who are provided opportunities for rehabilitation.