Society has celebrated children even as it has denied fundamental rights and dignity to millions of them. Mass movements and social awareness against injustices like child labour, lack of access to health and education, child sexual abuse and trafficking have been catalysed by reformers like Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi. As a result of his untiring efforts, child labour is now universally considered to be a social evil that has to be abolished. Equally important, societies and governments across the world have accepted that access to quality education is the fundamental right of every child. Even as he has fought for justice and dignity for children, Mr. Satyarthi has found time to provoke, inspire and illuminate young minds by writing about children, their dreams and the power of their humanity.
This book is a compilation of columns and interviews which highlight the continuing struggle to create safe childhoods. Readers will find much to introspect after going through this collection.
About the Author
For thirty-eight years, Mr. Kailash Satyarthi has struggled against the oppression of children and fought for their rights. He is the only receipient of the Nobel Peace Prize who is Indian-born and a resident of the country. He received the Nobel Prize in 2014.
The issue of child rights and child labour was not yet a part
of the public discourse when
Mr. Satyarthi founded the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) in 1981. BBA has since rescued more than 86,000 children from conditions of exploitative labour and modern-day slavery, and successfully rehabilitated them into society.
As a global campaigner for child rights, his worldwide coalition, the Global March against Child Labour is the largest civil society network for the most exploited children. The march, conducted in 1998, traversed 80,000 kms over 103 countries and resulted in international legislation banning the worst forms of child labour (ILO conventions 138 and 182). His nationwide march in India in 2001, demanding education as a fundamental right, resulted eventually in universal education becoming a birthright. In 2016, he announced the 100 Million for 100 Million Campaign that inspires 100 million young global citizens to partner with their 100 million less privileged brethren to create a better world for all. Recently, he led the historic Bharat Yatra against child sexual abuse and trafficking, that travelled 12,000 kilometers across 22 states of India.
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