Kailash Satyarthi

Kailash Satyarthi stands as a transformative figure in global child rights advocacy, earning the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless efforts against child exploitation. Born on January 11, 1954, he left a lucrative career as an electrical engineer in 1980 to establish Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save Childhood Movement), which has since liberated more than 86,000 children from labor, trafficking, and slavery. His pioneering work includes launching the Global March Against Child Labour in 1998, an unprecedented 80,000-kilometer march across 103 countries that led to the ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour. He founded several influential organizations, including GoodWeave International (formerly Rugmark) in 1994, which revolutionized the carpet industry's approach to child labor, and the Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation in 2004, which continues his vision of a child-friendly world. His recent initiatives include the 100 Million campaign, mobilizing youth to fight for children's rights, and the Bharat Yatra, a 12,000-kilometer march across India against child sexual abuse. Through his leadership, he has transformed the global discourse on child rights, successfully advocating for child protection clauses in the UN Sustainable Development Goals and establishing the world's largest civil society network for exploited children. His work has earned him numerous international accolades, including the Defenders of Democracy Award and the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, while his foundation continues to implement innovative programs like Bal Mitra Gram (Child Friendly Villages) and educational support for child survivor