Satyarthi launched a 64-page bi-monthly magazine titled Sangharsh Jaari Rahega (The Fight Must Go On) in January 1981 to highlight pressing issues faced by vulnerable children and marginalised communities. It was for the first time that a magazine was drawing attention to children forced into labour and exploitation which was ignored by mainstream media.
That same year, 15-year-old Sabo and 35 people were freed from slavery—the first ever documented civil society-led rescue initiative in India.
After freeing Sabo, Satyarthi started gathering more information about bonded labour as he was deeply saddened by the fact that even in independent India, human slavery still exists. He filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court, leading to the release of thousands of bonded labourers. Among them was Laxman Master, now the treasurer of Bachpan Bachao Andolan.
During the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Satyarthi gave shelter to his Sikh neighbours despite being fully aware that he and his family’s lives would be in danger.
The 400-year-old Shrinathji Temple in Nathdwara, Rajasthan, barred Dalits from entry, a violation of the Right to Equality. On October 2, 1988, Satyarthi, accompanied by Dalit companions, entered the temple in defiance. Enraged, the priests brutally attacked him and attempted to burn him with acid, an act thwarted by timely police intervention.
This courageous act had widespread impact, leading to the late President R. Venkataraman and the then Chief Minister of Rajasthan to visit the temple with Dalits. The discriminatory sign was also permanently removed, and Dalits were granted entry to perform rituals, ending a centuries-old regressive practice.
Mukti Ashram, India’s first short-term rehabilitation centre for children rescued from bonded and child labour, was established in New Delhi. Since then, the Ashram continues to provide informal education to children up to the age of 14, preparing them to transition to mainstream education. Older children also receive vocational training in areas such as sewing, woodwork, welding, electrical skills, construction, and cooking, helping them become independent and pave a secure future.
Satyarthi undertook a 2000 km-long march against child labour in India from Nagar Utari (now Jharkhand) to Delhi. Thousands of villagers, activists, and children freed from bondage took part in the march, which lasted 15 days.
Satyarthi organised and led Bharat Yatra, a 5000 km-long march to raise awareness about child labour. The march began from the southern tip of India, Kanyakumari and concluded in Delhi.
Rugmark is a one-of-a-kind certification and voluntary social labelling mechanism to certify that a particular brand or organisation did not employ child labour in their supply chain. It is one of the first examples of ethical consumerism that reinforced the protection of children in Europe and Germany.
Today, rebranded as Goodweave, the initiative has expanded its scope to home textiles, bricks, apparel, and fashion jewellery industry, driving positive change in manufacturing and supply chains while actively eradicating child labour.
The Mukti Caravan was a mobile grassroots campaign against trafficking and abuse of children, launched at Delhi’s Rajghat. The campaign also demanded an international law against child labour. Led by youngsters who had been freed from child labour, the Mukti Caravan started its journey from Bihar and moved across the country, spreading awareness about the organised crime of child trafficking and other forms of exploitation of children through interactions, Nukkad Nataks, wall writings, pamphlet distribution and screening of audio visual material.
Satyarthi conceptualised one of the biggest mass movement drives in history, mobilising 7.2 million people, covering 80,000 kms across 103 countries. Beginning on January 17, 1998, the movement, which unfolded in three phases- from Manila, Philippines; São Paulo, Brazil; and Cape Town, South Africa- called for an international ban on hazardous child labour.
It was a watershed moment, when children who had once been child labourers, from different parts of the world entered the corridors of the ILO headquarters in Geneva shouting slogans, ‘Child Labour, Down, Down’. This historic march led to the universal ratification of the ILO Convention 182 in 1999.
Located in Viratnagar, Rajasthan, Bal Ashram was established as a long-term rehabilitation center for children rescued from the worst forms of child labour, slavery, and trafficking. It serves as a secure and empowering home for child labourers who have lost their families, whose parents cannot be traced, or whose circumstances risk re-enslavement. Bal Ashram provides education, vocational training, and emotional support, nurturing children into self-reliant adults and ensuring a dignified and secure life.
Satyarthi is the founding president of the Global Campaign for Education, an exemplary civil society movement working to end the global education crisis. The Global Campaign for advocates and campaigns at international and national levels to urge governments and the global community to uphold the right of all individuals to receive free, quality public education.
Twelve-year-old Kalu Kumar, who was rescued from a carpet-weaving industry and who stayed at Bal Ashram, was invited to meet then US President Bill Clinton at the launch of the book ‘Speak Truth to Power,’ written by Robert Kennedy’s daughter Kerry Kennedy. At the event Kalu asked Clinton what he was doing to eradicate child labour. He also told everyone present there, ‘You do not have to be the President to do something for children.’ Before the end of his term, Clinton increased the fund for the elimination of child labour globally by five times.
Satyarthi embarked on the nationwide ‘Shiksha Yatra’ (Education March) spanning a total distance of 15,000 km across 20 states, demanding free and compulsory education for all. The march, which started from the southern tip of India in Kanyakumari, took 6 months to reach the national capital, New Delhi. Satyarthi’s slogan, ‘Har Bachche Ka Hai Adhikar- Roti-Khel-Padhai-Pyaar (Food, Play, Education, Love—Every Child's Right)’ continues to inspire millions across the country.
The same year, Satyarthi also launched the award-winning child-centred community development model, Bal Mitra Gram, which brought child leaders at the forefront of transformation. The first Bal Mitra Gram was formed in Papri village of Rajasthan.
After receiving reports of young Nepali girls being held hostage and abused in a circus in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda, Satyarthi and his team undertook the rescue operation, despite facing intense opposition. The highly influential circus owner hired goons who brutally assaulted Satyarthi and his companions and left them grievously injured, believing them to be dead. Unable to rescue the girls, Satyarthi, despite his wounds, announced a fast-unto-death. With public support, they approached the High Court, which ultimately led to the release of 24 girls. Later in 2011, a landmark judgment was passed by the Supreme Court prohibiting the employment of children in circuses in the writ petition (C) No. 56 of 2006, Bachpan Bachao Andolan Vs Union of India.
Satyarthi's relentless advocacy led to the landmark amendment of the Child Labour Act, banning domestic child labour on October 10, 2006.
The fight began in 1996, when a young boy, who bore severe burn injuries was rescued from a government officer’s home, sparking a movement that culminated in the national law.
Supreme Court formed the All India Legal Aid cell on Child Rights under the aegis of the National Legal Services Authority in India (NALSA) to be led by Satyarthi. The purpose of the Legal Aid Cell was to become a one-stop legal hub for violators of child protection laws, as well as providing access to rehabilitation and social integration programs for children.
On May 10th, 2013, the Supreme Court passed a judgment on missing children based on a PIL filed by Bachpan Bachao Andolan. The Court directed that in case of every missing child reported there will be an initial presumption of abduction or trafficking unless proved otherwise during the investigation.
The same year saw the inclusion of Section 370 and 370A to address trafficking of persons in the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2013, following suggestions that BBA gave to the Justice Verma Committee on defining human trafficking.
Satyarthi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, on 10th December 2014 “for his struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.” Satyarthi dedicated his Nobel prize to the nation in a ceremony with former President of India Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
In 2015, the United Nations adopted new development goals, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and included the elimination of child labour, slavery, trafficking and forced labour under SDG 8.7.
Satyarthi continues to play a pivotal role in encouraging countries to take concrete actions toward eradicating child labour and achieving this goal.
Satyarthi launched ‘Laureates and Leaders’, a first-of-its-kind platform that brings together Nobel Laureates and global leaders from across the world to foster a sense of urgency and raise their voices for the cause of children. The first L&L conference was held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Delhi.
During the L&L, the then President Pranab Mukherjee flagged the 100 Million for 100 Million campaign to mobilise 100 million youth to devote themselves for a better future for 100 million marginalised children who have been denied their basic rights. Since its launch, youth, civil society organisations, trade unions, schools and universities from more than 36 countries have joined this campaign.
The 2017 Bharat Yatra, launched by Satyarthi to combat child sexual exploitation and trafficking across India began at Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari and culminated in New Delhi. The aim of the march was to raise awareness and demand a stringent law against human trafficking. Spanning 12,000 kilometres across 22 states, it mobilised 1.2 million participants, including Chief Ministers, judges, police, religious leaders, industrialists, social organisations, educational institutions, and professionals from various fields.
Bharat Yatra led to the Union Cabinet approving The Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 in February 2018. Subsequently, the Bill was passed in Lok Sabha in July 2018. Bharat Yatra also led to the passage of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018 in both the houses of Indian Parliament.
The Price of Free is a documentary about Kailash Satyarthi. It depicts how Satyarthi left his comfortable career as an electrical engineer and decided to dedicate his life to freeing children from slavery and abuse. The documentary, which is available on YouTube, premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. It was also nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary at the 40th News and Documentary Emmy Awards.
Satyarthi launched a nationwide drive ‘Child Marriage Free India’ against the appalling practice of child marriage and sexual abuse in India. The campaign, which involved the participation of 76,000 women across the country, endorsed the Government's proposal to extend the marriageable age of girls in India to 21 from 18.
Satyarthi in collaboration with the Zayed Awards for Human Fraternity brought together over 800 changemakers from more than 15 Indian states in Bal Ashram, Rajasthan for the Youth Summit. The event involved insightful discussions among youth leaders and the global thought leaders from 18 countries, including former heads of States, Nobel Laureates, activists, faith leaders, and climate advocates.
Satyarthi had long championed the call of globalising compassion, a message emphasised in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic amplified the urgency of this vision, underscoring the need to address the growing disconnectedness and apathy in the world. After years of brainstorming, collaboration and planning across India and globally, he formally launched the Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion (SMGC) on March 11, 2024, in Delhi. The launch event was attended Nobel laureates, jurists, activists, corporate leaders, scientists, journalists, intellectuals, and youth.