social
Child exploitation has been an ongoing problem since early in the 19th century, and since then the need to end it has exponentially grown. Through striving to end child labor in order to positively change lives, Kailash Satyarthi has also been able to work against strong forces who support child labor, while making it a known issue to the public at the same time.
When addressing the issue of child labor, Kailash Satyarthi concludes that the problem is held within the hands of big corporations who encourage the forced labor. “In an age of ignorance, neglect and denial on the issue of child servitude, these ordinary youth had a vision to see beyond heavens. Equipped with a strong will to demolish age-old myths and misconceptions about child labor, they fought mighty criminals, slave masters and mafia with exemplary courage” (Founder’s Vision).
The members of corporations that use child laborers and support this evil notion are ruthless. Both the people who want to stop child labor and the kids themselves are forced to work against these “walls” and have to keep a vision of happiness in sight the whole time. Many people are unaware of how real and current this issue is.
When addressing how to solve this immense issue, in his Nobel Peace Prize Speech, Kailash Satyarthi says, “Governments must make child friendly policies, and invest in education and young people. Businesses must be more responsible and open to innovative partnerships. Intergovernmental agencies must work together to accelerate action. Global civil society must rise above business-as-usual and scattered agendas.”
If society truly wants a change in the way things are going, people who are in a position to do something about it, which is everyone, should. The public needs to take a break from what they do everyday ongoingly and wake up, to see that things are not going alright globally, and that a change needs to take place. These businesses who are continuing to use child labor as the base source of manufacture need to work differently, and people against it need to work faster if a change is going to occur in this lifetime. If people are not going to do this for themselves and because they think it is right, they should do it to protect the children of the world.
In a book speaking to the origins of child labor, we learn how the issue evolved. Although even 200 years ago people tried to stop it, it increased much faster than people could put a stop to it. “The problem arose when children, many below the age of 10, were employed by factories and mines. The youths were forced to work long hours under dangerous and unhealthy conditions, and their wages were very small.The most effective attack on the evils of child labor may have come from Charles Dickens's novel Oliver Twist (1837-1839). The book was widely read in both the United States and the United Kingdom” (Child Labor, Brody).
Since the Industrial Revolution, when child laborers became extremely in demand for the first time, there have been groups of people who have tried to make the public aware about this inhumane practice. Before he was even alive, people such as Charles Dickens made society educated about child labor through propaganda. However, since it continued to spread and is still being used to this day, it takes forces as strong as Kailash Satyarthi and the people he works with to try to minimize the forced labor. As governments, large businesses, and society as a whole has become more aware of what was an increasing problem of child labor, Kailash Satyarthi and his coworkers have been able to minimize the number of children in the child labor industry.
When speaking to his Save the Childhood Movement, Kailash Satyarthi is able to narrate the positive changes his organization has already made. "Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) is not a conventional NGO or a typical institution, it is the ray of hope in millions of hearts, the first dream in their eyes, the first smile on their faces” (bba.org, Kailash Satyarthi).
Kailash Satyarthi founded an organization called Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement) in 1980. As of today, BBA has rescued 83,775 children from bonded labor and slavery. BBA’s mission is to save children from exploitation, while enforcing anti-labor and anti-trafficking laws, and at the same time they have increased the public awareness about child labor.
Some may wonder how Kailash Satyarthi manages to save so many children. Well, it is not easy work. He puts his own life on the line to save others.“Raid and rescue operations to free child workers from unacceptable conditions have always been at the heart of our work. Early efforts have mainly been directed at children exploited in brick kilns, stone quarries and the carpet industry, though, today, BBA rescue operations take place in many more industries” (bba.org).
Through the increased demand of child laborers overtime, the locations that they are working in have changed based on the times and industrialized production mechanisms. Kailash Satyarthi and those who are part of the BBA movement commonly raid the places where the bonded laborers are held, freeing them from the rough and terrible conditions. BBA has been able to make a huge change in not only the way that people from the outside world are aware of child labor, but for the children’s lives themselves. BBA has been able to provide hope and a second chance for the children who had not seen anything but the inside of a factory before.
When addressing the issue of child labor, Kailash Satyarthi concludes that the problem is held within the hands of big corporations who encourage the forced labor. “In an age of ignorance, neglect and denial on the issue of child servitude, these ordinary youth had a vision to see beyond heavens. Equipped with a strong will to demolish age-old myths and misconceptions about child labor, they fought mighty criminals, slave masters and mafia with exemplary courage” (Founder’s Vision).
The members of corporations that use child laborers and support this evil notion are ruthless. Both the people who want to stop child labor and the kids themselves are forced to work against these “walls” and have to keep a vision of happiness in sight the whole time. Many people are unaware of how real and current this issue is.
When addressing how to solve this immense issue, in his Nobel Peace Prize Speech, Kailash Satyarthi says, “Governments must make child friendly policies, and invest in education and young people. Businesses must be more responsible and open to innovative partnerships. Intergovernmental agencies must work together to accelerate action. Global civil society must rise above business-as-usual and scattered agendas.”
If society truly wants a change in the way things are going, people who are in a position to do something about it, which is everyone, should. The public needs to take a break from what they do everyday ongoingly and wake up, to see that things are not going alright globally, and that a change needs to take place. These businesses who are continuing to use child labor as the base source of manufacture need to work differently, and people against it need to work faster if a change is going to occur in this lifetime. If people are not going to do this for themselves and because they think it is right, they should do it to protect the children of the world.
In a book speaking to the origins of child labor, we learn how the issue evolved. Although even 200 years ago people tried to stop it, it increased much faster than people could put a stop to it. “The problem arose when children, many below the age of 10, were employed by factories and mines. The youths were forced to work long hours under dangerous and unhealthy conditions, and their wages were very small.The most effective attack on the evils of child labor may have come from Charles Dickens's novel Oliver Twist (1837-1839). The book was widely read in both the United States and the United Kingdom” (Child Labor, Brody).
Since the Industrial Revolution, when child laborers became extremely in demand for the first time, there have been groups of people who have tried to make the public aware about this inhumane practice. Before he was even alive, people such as Charles Dickens made society educated about child labor through propaganda. However, since it continued to spread and is still being used to this day, it takes forces as strong as Kailash Satyarthi and the people he works with to try to minimize the forced labor. As governments, large businesses, and society as a whole has become more aware of what was an increasing problem of child labor, Kailash Satyarthi and his coworkers have been able to minimize the number of children in the child labor industry.
When speaking to his Save the Childhood Movement, Kailash Satyarthi is able to narrate the positive changes his organization has already made. "Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) is not a conventional NGO or a typical institution, it is the ray of hope in millions of hearts, the first dream in their eyes, the first smile on their faces” (bba.org, Kailash Satyarthi).
Kailash Satyarthi founded an organization called Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement) in 1980. As of today, BBA has rescued 83,775 children from bonded labor and slavery. BBA’s mission is to save children from exploitation, while enforcing anti-labor and anti-trafficking laws, and at the same time they have increased the public awareness about child labor.
Some may wonder how Kailash Satyarthi manages to save so many children. Well, it is not easy work. He puts his own life on the line to save others.“Raid and rescue operations to free child workers from unacceptable conditions have always been at the heart of our work. Early efforts have mainly been directed at children exploited in brick kilns, stone quarries and the carpet industry, though, today, BBA rescue operations take place in many more industries” (bba.org).
Through the increased demand of child laborers overtime, the locations that they are working in have changed based on the times and industrialized production mechanisms. Kailash Satyarthi and those who are part of the BBA movement commonly raid the places where the bonded laborers are held, freeing them from the rough and terrible conditions. BBA has been able to make a huge change in not only the way that people from the outside world are aware of child labor, but for the children’s lives themselves. BBA has been able to provide hope and a second chance for the children who had not seen anything but the inside of a factory before.