Historical context essay
"I represent here the sound of silence. The cry of innocence. And, the face of invisibility. I have come here to share the voices and dreams of our children, our children, because they are all our children. I have looked into their frightened and exhausted eyes. And I have heard their urgent questions: Twenty years ago, in the foothills of the Himalayas, I met a small, skinny boy. He asked me: ‘Is the world so poor that it cannot give me a toy and a book, instead of forcing me to take a tool or gun?’ Twelve years ago, a child-mother from the streets of Colombia – trafficked, raped, enslaved – asked me this: ‘I have never had a dream. Can my child have one?’” (Kailash Satyarthi-Interview). These words were spoken by a man named Kailash Satyarthi, the co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace prize. His entire life has been devoted to rescuing five-year old mine workers, nine-year olds in firecracker factories, seven-year-old slaves, and six-year olds abandoned by their families and left to fend for themselves. Although he is responsible for the freedom of thousands of child laborers and giving them education, he is extremely humble and selfless. He leads through strong compassion and drive to create positive change, which inspires those around him.
Kailash Satyarthi was born on January 11, 1954 in a small town called Vidisha, India. He grew up with a satisfactory education and caring family members, but he noticed that some kids did not go to school and were forced to labor in harsh conditions. Sickened by the inequality, he asked his classmates to donate textbooks and money so the underprivileged children could go to school. Even as a child, Kailash was a compassionate individual who valued education. He continued to study hard and attended Bhopal college where he studied electrical engineering. After receiving his postgraduate diploma in high voltage engineering, Satyarthi seemed en route to become an engineer. But as he began working in the real world, he realized that this was not his path in life and his heart was simply not in this field of work. He promptly quit his job to begin helping those less fortunate than himself, specifically child laborers and victims of human slavery in India.
Satyarthi has since devoted his life to these causes, bringing national attention to the mistreated children. In 1980, he formed the Bachpan Bachao Andolan Movement (Save the Children). The purpose of this organization, which still exists today and has saved over 83,000 children, was to eradicate bonded child labor and rescue children (Founder’s Vision, Bachpan Bachao Andolan website). He and others face dangerous conditions when they save these children from their slave owners, mines, abusive families, etc. Once the children are saved, they need to be rehabilitated, thus the Bal Ashram was formed in Rajasthan where the newly-rescued children are taught basic skills. Other incredible milestones from Satyarthi’s life include the Global March Against Child Labor he led in 1998. This march covered 80,000 km and 103 countries, and its purpose was to raise international awareness for the innocent, voiceless child laborers and victims of human trafficking (Kailash Satyarthi official website). And finally, Kailash Satyarthi most notable accomplishment to date is that he was awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. Although he is not as well known as the other 2014 recipient, seventeen year old Malala Yousafzai, his work is equally impactful and important. He was extremely humbled by the award and grateful that it brought even more international awareness to the ongoing issues. But his life dedication to ending child labor has not stopped with the prize, and he continues to develop new organizations and ideas to better the lives of children.
While being provided with a sufficient education and a lifestyle that allowed him to have a stable job, Kailash Satyarthi realized that many others around him were not as fortunate. Even as a child, Kailash Satyarthi noticed that this was not fair, and asked other children to donate textbooks and bring in money to allow the other kids the strongest education possible. As he grew up and began to help others as a profession, Kailash Satyarthi realized that there were many other correlating issues involved with child labor. Some of the main surrounding issues include sexual abuse, trafficking, slavery, and illiteracy. Especially in India, with a large gap between the rich minority and the poor majority, Kailash Satyarthi has put in immense effort to try and create a better life for the poor, specifically those who are in the realm of child labor, who are probably living with the other circulating problems as well.
Although it may seem like the issues that Kailash Satyarthi has worked against are very straight forward, there is a lot of gray area which includes the forces that he has to work against. Industries that involve mindless and extremely laborious tasks often have abused and used child laborers behind the scenes. The children are ignored and not properly taken care of, and evidently, when they go home they often do not receive much better care because it can not be provided by their families. In his Nobel Peace Prize speech, Kailash Satyarthi says, "Whose children are they who stitch footballs, yet have never played with one? They are our children. Whose children are they who mine stones and minerals? They are our children. Whose children are they who harvest cocoa, yet do not know the taste of a chocolate? They are all our children." (Kailash Satyarthi-interview). Kailash Satyarthi’s strong and powerful words speak to those who are forcing the children to work in inhumane conditions, and to society as a whole because these children are part of society, not outsiders who should have to be treated so unfairly.
Kailash Satyarthi himself has often received parts of the unfair treatment from these industries. While trying to save children from labor sites, he and his group have been attacked by those who are in charge. In 2004, Kailash Satyarthi and others from his group were trying to save a group of children from a circus mafia and Great Roman Circus, and they ended up being brutally attacked, solely because of their efforts to rescue innocent children from unfair conditions. “Despite these attacks and his office being ransacked by anti-social elements a number of times in the past, his commitment to stand tall for the cause of child slaves has been unwavering" (Kailash Satyarthi, The Famous People).
In 1980, Kailash Satyarthi realized that helping those who were underprivileged was the correct direction for him to continue his life in. Seeing his poor schoolmates as a child had created a great impact on his adult life. Poverty, along with all the other social inequalities were just factors into what created a mold for any child to be forced into child labor. With industrialization and mass production becoming the means of many large companies, Kailash Satyarthi was able to see the endless and over laborious tasks required of children. He knew how important it was to change the lives of these children, remembering his classmates who could not even afford textbooks. Kailash Satyarthi did not know how impactful and successful his efforts would be. In 1980, he started a journal called “The Struggle Shall Continue” to create child labor awareness. He also founded Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save Childhood Movement), which is an India-based movement campaigning for the rights of children. Many other human rights activists have joined Kailash Satyarthi in the protest against child labor. He also has tried to link the stopping of child labor with enforcing “Education for All.” Although many children still live their lives in child labor, Bachpan Bachao Andolan has rescued 83,657 children from child labor today, and each day Kailash Satyarthi organizations save more children from their unfair lives and encourage education and better lifestyles amongst them (Bachpan Bachao Andolan website).
Yet, how much of an impact can Kailash Satyarthi truly continue to have on the future of ending child labor and bettering the lives of laborers themselves, when being forced to work against bigger, stronger forces who oppose everything he believes in? Despite being constantly in danger himself when facing large production industries and the owners of the child laborers, Kailash Satyarthi was able to already reduce the number of child laborers and put these children into safer life conditions, including giving them a better education which promises a brighter future. A better view of people who are part of the child labor industries lives’ and the daily struggle it is for children to work instead of receive and education will reveal a better understanding of Kailash Satyarthi’s role as a human rights activist for ending child labor and encouraging education for all.
Kailash Satyarthi was born on January 11, 1954 in a small town called Vidisha, India. He grew up with a satisfactory education and caring family members, but he noticed that some kids did not go to school and were forced to labor in harsh conditions. Sickened by the inequality, he asked his classmates to donate textbooks and money so the underprivileged children could go to school. Even as a child, Kailash was a compassionate individual who valued education. He continued to study hard and attended Bhopal college where he studied electrical engineering. After receiving his postgraduate diploma in high voltage engineering, Satyarthi seemed en route to become an engineer. But as he began working in the real world, he realized that this was not his path in life and his heart was simply not in this field of work. He promptly quit his job to begin helping those less fortunate than himself, specifically child laborers and victims of human slavery in India.
Satyarthi has since devoted his life to these causes, bringing national attention to the mistreated children. In 1980, he formed the Bachpan Bachao Andolan Movement (Save the Children). The purpose of this organization, which still exists today and has saved over 83,000 children, was to eradicate bonded child labor and rescue children (Founder’s Vision, Bachpan Bachao Andolan website). He and others face dangerous conditions when they save these children from their slave owners, mines, abusive families, etc. Once the children are saved, they need to be rehabilitated, thus the Bal Ashram was formed in Rajasthan where the newly-rescued children are taught basic skills. Other incredible milestones from Satyarthi’s life include the Global March Against Child Labor he led in 1998. This march covered 80,000 km and 103 countries, and its purpose was to raise international awareness for the innocent, voiceless child laborers and victims of human trafficking (Kailash Satyarthi official website). And finally, Kailash Satyarthi most notable accomplishment to date is that he was awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. Although he is not as well known as the other 2014 recipient, seventeen year old Malala Yousafzai, his work is equally impactful and important. He was extremely humbled by the award and grateful that it brought even more international awareness to the ongoing issues. But his life dedication to ending child labor has not stopped with the prize, and he continues to develop new organizations and ideas to better the lives of children.
While being provided with a sufficient education and a lifestyle that allowed him to have a stable job, Kailash Satyarthi realized that many others around him were not as fortunate. Even as a child, Kailash Satyarthi noticed that this was not fair, and asked other children to donate textbooks and bring in money to allow the other kids the strongest education possible. As he grew up and began to help others as a profession, Kailash Satyarthi realized that there were many other correlating issues involved with child labor. Some of the main surrounding issues include sexual abuse, trafficking, slavery, and illiteracy. Especially in India, with a large gap between the rich minority and the poor majority, Kailash Satyarthi has put in immense effort to try and create a better life for the poor, specifically those who are in the realm of child labor, who are probably living with the other circulating problems as well.
Although it may seem like the issues that Kailash Satyarthi has worked against are very straight forward, there is a lot of gray area which includes the forces that he has to work against. Industries that involve mindless and extremely laborious tasks often have abused and used child laborers behind the scenes. The children are ignored and not properly taken care of, and evidently, when they go home they often do not receive much better care because it can not be provided by their families. In his Nobel Peace Prize speech, Kailash Satyarthi says, "Whose children are they who stitch footballs, yet have never played with one? They are our children. Whose children are they who mine stones and minerals? They are our children. Whose children are they who harvest cocoa, yet do not know the taste of a chocolate? They are all our children." (Kailash Satyarthi-interview). Kailash Satyarthi’s strong and powerful words speak to those who are forcing the children to work in inhumane conditions, and to society as a whole because these children are part of society, not outsiders who should have to be treated so unfairly.
Kailash Satyarthi himself has often received parts of the unfair treatment from these industries. While trying to save children from labor sites, he and his group have been attacked by those who are in charge. In 2004, Kailash Satyarthi and others from his group were trying to save a group of children from a circus mafia and Great Roman Circus, and they ended up being brutally attacked, solely because of their efforts to rescue innocent children from unfair conditions. “Despite these attacks and his office being ransacked by anti-social elements a number of times in the past, his commitment to stand tall for the cause of child slaves has been unwavering" (Kailash Satyarthi, The Famous People).
In 1980, Kailash Satyarthi realized that helping those who were underprivileged was the correct direction for him to continue his life in. Seeing his poor schoolmates as a child had created a great impact on his adult life. Poverty, along with all the other social inequalities were just factors into what created a mold for any child to be forced into child labor. With industrialization and mass production becoming the means of many large companies, Kailash Satyarthi was able to see the endless and over laborious tasks required of children. He knew how important it was to change the lives of these children, remembering his classmates who could not even afford textbooks. Kailash Satyarthi did not know how impactful and successful his efforts would be. In 1980, he started a journal called “The Struggle Shall Continue” to create child labor awareness. He also founded Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save Childhood Movement), which is an India-based movement campaigning for the rights of children. Many other human rights activists have joined Kailash Satyarthi in the protest against child labor. He also has tried to link the stopping of child labor with enforcing “Education for All.” Although many children still live their lives in child labor, Bachpan Bachao Andolan has rescued 83,657 children from child labor today, and each day Kailash Satyarthi organizations save more children from their unfair lives and encourage education and better lifestyles amongst them (Bachpan Bachao Andolan website).
Yet, how much of an impact can Kailash Satyarthi truly continue to have on the future of ending child labor and bettering the lives of laborers themselves, when being forced to work against bigger, stronger forces who oppose everything he believes in? Despite being constantly in danger himself when facing large production industries and the owners of the child laborers, Kailash Satyarthi was able to already reduce the number of child laborers and put these children into safer life conditions, including giving them a better education which promises a brighter future. A better view of people who are part of the child labor industries lives’ and the daily struggle it is for children to work instead of receive and education will reveal a better understanding of Kailash Satyarthi’s role as a human rights activist for ending child labor and encouraging education for all.