Kailash Satyarthi

Kailash Satyarthi
Born	Kailash Sharma 11 1, 1954
Birthplace	Vidisha, Madhya Bharat (now Madhya Pradesh), India
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Social reformer, children's rights activist
Known for	Activism for children's rights and children's education
Education	Samrat Ashok Technological Institute, Vidisha (B.E., M.E.)
Spouse(s)	Sumedha Satyarthi
Awards	Nobel Peace Prize (2014), Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award (1995)
Website	[http://www.kailashsatyarthi.net/ Official site]

Kailash Satyarthi (born Kailash Sharma, 11 January 1954) is an Indian social reformer and children's rights activist who has spent more than four decades campaigning against child labour, child slavery, and child trafficking in India and around the world. Born in the central Indian city of Vidisha, Satyarthi gave up a career in electrical engineering to devote his life to the cause of exploited children, founding Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement) and several other organizations that have collectively freed more than 130,000 children from bondage. In 1998, he conceived and led the Global March Against Child Labour, an 80,000-kilometre march across 103 countries that became one of the largest social movements ever undertaken on behalf of children. In 2014, Satyarthi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan "for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education." His work has influenced international labour standards, most notably the adoption of ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour in 1999.

Early Life

Kailash Satyarthi was born as Kailash Sharma on 11 January 1954 in Vidisha, a city in the state of Madhya Bharat (now Madhya Pradesh), India. His parents were Ramprasad Sharma and Chironjibai. Growing up in Vidisha, Satyarthi witnessed child labour from an early age. According to his own accounts, he was struck as a young boy by the sight of children his age working instead of attending school — an experience that planted the seeds of his lifelong activism.

Satyarthi displayed an inclination toward social concern from his childhood. He later recounted that at the age of eleven, he began collecting and distributing used textbooks to children from impoverished families who could not afford school supplies. These early experiences shaped his understanding of the systemic injustices facing children in India, particularly those born into lower economic strata and marginalized communities.

He grew up in a period when child labour was widespread across India, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas like Vidisha. The practice was deeply entrenched in industries such as carpet weaving, brick kilns, agriculture, and domestic service. Satyarthi's early awareness of these conditions would later inform his approach to activism, which combined direct rescue operations with broader campaigns for legislative and policy reform.

He later adopted the surname "Satyarthi," which derives from the Sanskrit word for "seeker of truth," reflecting his commitment to social justice and reform.

Education

Satyarthi pursued his higher education at the Samrat Ashok Technological Institute in Vidisha, where he earned a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) degree in electrical engineering. He subsequently obtained a Master of Engineering (M.E.) degree from the same institution. Despite his engineering qualifications and the prospect of a stable professional career, Satyarthi chose to abandon the field in order to dedicate himself to the cause of ending child labour and advocating for children's rights. His decision to leave engineering marked a pivotal turning point, as he redirected his energies toward social activism — a path that would define the remainder of his professional life.

Career

Early Activism and Bachpan Bachao Andolan

Satyarthi began his career as an electrical engineer but soon turned to social activism. In the early 1980s, he founded Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), which translates to "Save the Childhood Movement." The organization focused on identifying, liberating, and rehabilitating children who had been subjected to forced labour, slavery, and trafficking in India. BBA conducted direct intervention raids on factories, workshops, and other establishments where children were held in bondage, often working in dangerous conditions for little or no pay. Satyarthi personally led many of these operations, frequently putting himself at risk of physical violence from employers and traffickers who profited from child labour.

Over the course of several decades, Satyarthi and his team at Bachpan Bachao Andolan liberated more than 130,000 children from child labour, slavery, and trafficking across India. The rescued children were provided with rehabilitation services, including education and vocational training, through institutions such as the Bal Ashram Trust, which Satyarthi also established to serve as a shelter and educational centre for freed children.

Satyarthi's approach was notable for combining grassroots rescue operations with sustained legal and policy advocacy. He pushed for stronger enforcement of existing Indian laws against child labour and campaigned for new legislation to protect the rights of children. His activism drew attention not only to the exploitation of children in domestic industries but also to the global supply chains that relied on child labour, particularly in sectors such as carpet manufacturing, the garment industry, and mining.

Global March Against Child Labour

In 1998, Satyarthi conceived and led the Global March Against Child Labour, a transnational mobilization that covered approximately 80,000 kilometres across 103 countries. The march was designed to raise global awareness about the worst forms of child labour and to build political momentum for international legislative action. Participants included children, youth, civil society organizations, and trade unions. Among the marchers were survivors of trafficking for forced labour, sexual exploitation, and other forms of abuse.

The Global March became one of the largest social movements ever organized on behalf of exploited children. It culminated in Geneva, Switzerland, at the annual conference of the International Labour Organization (ILO), where the demands of the marchers were presented to delegates. The demands of the march were reflected in the drafting of ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour. In 1999, the convention was unanimously adopted at the ILO Conference in Geneva, establishing binding international standards for the elimination of the most egregious forms of child exploitation.

The success of the Global March established Satyarthi as an internationally recognized figure in the campaign against child labour and led to the creation of a permanent organizational structure — the Global March Against Child Labour — which continues to advocate for policy reforms and the enforcement of international labour standards affecting children.

Global Campaign for Education

Building on the momentum of the Global March, Satyarthi co-founded the Global Campaign for Education (GCE), an initiative dedicated to ensuring that all children and adults have access to free, quality public education. The campaign brought together civil society organizations, teachers' unions, and child rights groups from around the world. It advocated for increased government spending on education, the removal of barriers to school enrollment (including fees and discrimination), and the fulfillment of international commitments to universal education, including the goals outlined in the Education for All framework and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

Satyarthi's advocacy for education was rooted in the recognition that child labour and lack of schooling are deeply interconnected — children who are denied access to education are far more vulnerable to exploitation and forced labour. As recently as 2025, Satyarthi continued to write and speak about the importance of achieving universal education, arguing in a Project Syndicate article that delivering on the promise of free, equitable, and quality education for all remains essential to sustainable development.

Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation and Later Initiatives

Satyarthi established the Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation (KSCF) to continue and expand his work for the rights and protection of children. The foundation works on issues including child labour, child trafficking, child sexual abuse, and access to education.

In a significant domestic campaign, Satyarthi led the Bharat Yatra (India March), a nationwide march covering approximately 19,000 kilometres over 35 days across India. The march demanded stronger legislation against child rape and child prostitution, seeking to galvanize public support and political action on these issues.

Satyarthi also founded the Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion, which aims to promote compassion as an active force for justice, equality, peace, and sustainability worldwide. In January 2026, at the Jaipur Literature Festival, Satyarthi argued that compassion is a measurable force that can reshape leadership, governance, and society, introducing the concept of a "Compassion Quotient" (CQ) alongside traditional measures of intelligence. He has also published on the theme of compassion, with The New Indian Express describing his work Karuna: The Power of Compassion as reframing compassion as "an active, transformative force."

International Board Service

Throughout his career, Satyarthi has served on the boards and committees of several international organizations. These include the Center for Victims of Torture (United States), the International Labour Rights Fund (United States), and the International Cocoa Initiative. His involvement in the Cocoa Initiative reflected his broader efforts to address child labour within global commodity supply chains, particularly in the cocoa industry of West Africa, where child labour has been extensively documented.

Personal Life

Kailash Satyarthi is married to Sumedha Satyarthi, who has been involved in his activism and the work of his organizations. The couple lives in New Delhi, India.

Satyarthi adopted the surname "Satyarthi" — meaning "seeker of truth" in Sanskrit — reflecting his philosophical commitment to the principles underlying his work. His original surname was Sharma.

In 2016, Satyarthi's Nobel Peace Prize medal and citation were stolen from his home in New Delhi. The theft drew public attention and was widely reported in the Indian media.

Satyarthi has spoken publicly about the importance of parenting and family relationships in protecting children. In a 2026 interview, he discussed why "parenting rooted in friendship" matters for the well-being of children, stating that when children do not find friendship at home, they seek it outside, potentially making them more vulnerable.

Recognition

Satyarthi has received numerous national and international awards for his work on behalf of children.

In 1995, he was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award for his efforts to combat child labour in India.

In 1999, he received the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Human Rights Award from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation of Germany, recognizing his contributions to the advancement of human rights.

He was a recipient of the Wallenberg Medal from the University of Michigan, an award that honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes.

In 2014, Satyarthi received the Nobel Peace Prize, shared with Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan. The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited their "struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education." The award was notable for honoring an Indian and a Pakistani together, symbolizing the cross-border nature of child rights advocacy.

In 2015, Satyarthi was named among Fortune magazine's "World's Greatest Leaders." He was also featured on LinkedIn's Power Profiles List in 2017 and 2018.

In 2017, he received the P.C. Chandra Puraskaar award.

Legacy

Kailash Satyarthi's career has spanned more than four decades and has had a measurable impact on both Indian and international policy regarding child labour and children's rights. The liberation of over 130,000 children through Bachpan Bachao Andolan represents one of the largest sustained direct-action campaigns against child bondage in modern history. The organizations he founded — including Bachpan Bachao Andolan, the Global March Against Child Labour, the Global Campaign for Education, and the Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation — have collectively contributed to shifts in legislation, international standards, and public awareness regarding the exploitation of children.

The 1998 Global March Against Child Labour had a direct legislative outcome in the form of ILO Convention 182, which has since been ratified by all 187 member states of the ILO — making it the first convention in the organization's history to achieve universal ratification. Satyarthi's role in catalyzing the march and bringing its demands to the ILO conference in Geneva represented a significant instance of civil society directly influencing the creation of binding international law.

His joint receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize with Malala Yousafzai in 2014 brought renewed international attention to the issues of child labour, child trafficking, and the denial of education to millions of children worldwide. The pairing of an Indian Hindu man and a Pakistani Muslim girl was interpreted by commentators as a statement about the universality of children's rights and the importance of cross-border cooperation.

In more recent years, Satyarthi has expanded his advocacy to encompass what he terms the "Compassion Quotient," arguing that compassion should be valued alongside intelligence and technological achievement as a force for social transformation. Through his writing and public speaking, including his work Karuna: The Power of Compassion, he has sought to build a broader philosophical framework linking children's rights to global justice, equality, and sustainability.

Satyarthi continues to be active in public life, writing, speaking, and leading organizational efforts aimed at protecting children from exploitation and ensuring their access to education.