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BIOGRAPHY

Mr. Kailash Satyarthi, a prominent social reformer and Nobel Peace Laureate, stands out as an exceptional leader and an unwavering advocate for the marginalized and voiceless. In 2014, he was honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless crusade against the oppression of children and youth, and his unwavering commitment to ensuring every child's right to education. With Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion, he exemplifies a life guided by compassion, setting an unmatched standard in the field of social reforms. Through his courageous and persistent advocacy, he has played a pivotal role in shaping ground-breaking legislations worldwide, with the aim of eradicating violence against the powerless. His remarkable efforts have left an indelible mark on the path to a more equitable and just society.


Through his organization, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, Mr. Satyarthi has liberated more than 100,000 children from child labour, slavery, trafficking and other forms of exploitation and developed a successful model for their education, rehabilitation and reintegration into mainstream society. The Global March Against Child Labour, which he led, galvanized support in 103 countries resulting in the adoption of ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor, which went on to become the only universally ratified convention in the history of the ILO.

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He is also the founding president of the Global Campaign for Education, an exemplar civil society movement working to end the global education crisis. He successfully spearheaded a countrywide movement to make education a Constitutional Provision which subsequently paved the way for the Right to Free and Compulsory Education in India in 2009. Mr Satyarthi is credited for establishing GoodWeave International (previously known as Rugmark), a first-of-its-kind certification and social labelling mechanism for child labour-free carpets in South Asia. He has worked to advance ethical business practices, to help businesses liberate their supply chains from child labour.


He has been at the forefront of driving child-related agendas into the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which resulted in the UN Secretary-General appointing him an SDG Advocate in 2021. Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation is ensuring an end to the exploitation of children in India and around the world by addressing the inequality, injustice and discrimination that lie at the core of child labour. Mr Satyarthi has dedicated his life to realizing his vision of ending violence against children and building a world where every child is free to be a child.

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In 2016, Mr Satyarthi launched Laureates and Leaders for Children, a platform bringing together Nobel Laureates and leaders committed to working together for the world’s most vulnerable children. Alongside former child labourers and students, he also launched the 100 Million campaign in 2016 to inspire and mobilize young people to stand up and act for their own rights and the rights of their peers.

 

Compassionate to the core, Mr Satyarthi has been at the forefront of demanding social protection for vulnerable children living in African nations and other low-income countries. For him, every minute matters, every child matters and every childhood matters. 


Mr. Kailash Satyarthi envisions a world where the youth realizes its truest potential as the agent of positive social transformation. Almost 70 now, his compassion for all things living has him going as strong as ever and he will not stop till all the voiceless find a voice.

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ACCOLADES

The life and work of Kailash Satyarthi has been the subject of a number of films, documentaries, television series, talk shows, advocacy and awareness films, magazines and news items of all leading print and electronic media worldwide. Mr. Satyarthi's contribution has been recognized through several prestigious national and international awards. Some of these include:

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  • Wockhardt Foundation, Lifetime Achievement Award (2019)

  • Santokhba Humanitarian Award 2018

  • Honoris Causa in Science, Amity University (2018- India)

  • Doctor Honoris Causa 2017, EL Rector Magnífico de la Universidad Pablo de Olavide

  • Guinness World Record 2017 for Largest Child Safe Guarding Lesson

  • Doctor of Law (LLD), West Bengal University of Juridical Sciences (2016-India)

  • Doctor of Humane Letters, Lynchburg College (2016-USA)

  • Member-Fellow, Australian Institute of Management (2016)

  • Harvard Humanitarian Award (2015-USA)

  • Nobel Peace Prize 2014

  • Defenders of Democracy Award (2009-USA)

  • Alfonso Comin International Award (2008-Spain)

  • Medal of the Italian Senate (2007-Italy)

  • Heroes Acting to End Modern Day Slavery by US State Department (2007-USA)

  • Freedom Award (2006-USA)

  • In October 2002, Satyarthi was awarded the Wallenberg Medal from the University of Michigan in recognition of his courageous humanitarian work against the exploitation of child labor.

  • Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Award (1999-Germany)

  • La Hospitalet Award (1999-Spain)

  • De Gouden Wimpel Award (1998-Netherlands)

  • Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award (1995-USA)

  • The Trumpeter Award (1995-USA)

  • The Aachener International Peace Award (1994-Germany)

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