Kailash Satyarthi is a visionary social reformer, Nobel Peace Laureate (2014), and a global champion for children’s rights and the eradication of child exploitation. His life and mission embody the profound impact of compassion, which he believes is the endless drive necessary to take action to alleviate suffering. He is at the forefront of a global movement to promote a just, peaceful, and sustainable world through the universal application of compassionate action.
Satyarthi has been the architect of groundbreaking global movements, notably establishing the Global March Against Child Labour, the largest single civil society network for the exploited. This march was instrumental in spurring the adoption of ILO Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labor in 1999. He also pioneered GoodWeave International (formerly Rugmark), the first-of-its-kind certification and social labeling mechanism to advance ethical business practices and liberate supply chains from child labor.
His commitment to the vulnerable has successfully driven child-related agendas into the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), leading to his appointment as an SDG Advocate in 2021. Through his organization, Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement), he has liberated over 138,000 children from labor, slavery, and trafficking, pioneering a successful model for their education, rehabilitation, and reintegration into mainstream society.
As a global thought leader, Satyarthi is now focused on his Movement for Global Compassion, aiming to use compassion as a guiding force to promote a just, peaceful, and sustainable world. His platform, Laureates and Leaders for Children, brings together Nobel Laureates and global figures to work for the world’s most vulnerable children, reinforcing his lifelong dedication to a world where every child is free to be a child.
