Launched in March 2024, the Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion (SMGC) aims to ignite Compassion in Action across the globe. SMGC is committed to globalising compassion, which has the power to ensure justice, equity, peace, and sustainability globally.
SMGC mobilises individuals and communities in over 140 countries to unite against injustices and amplify the voices of the voiceless. With compassion as its cornerstone, the movement aims to inspire millions to foster solidarity, empower the oppressed, and create a just and sustainable world for future generations.
Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF) envisions a world free of violence against children. It works towards addressing an array of issues that affect vulnerable children and their families to ensure that every child is safe, healthy and educated. The organization works in partnership with multiple stakeholders at the grassroots and global level for the protection of children.
Association for Voluntary Action (AVA), popularly known as Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), was founded in 1980 and is India’s largest anti-trafficking and anti-slavery grassroots movement. BBA closely works with Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) and communities to protect children from being trafficked for labour, marriage and child sexual abuse. Till date, BBA has rescued over 1,38000 children forced into labour and other forms of exploitation.
The Global March movement started with an 80,000 km-long physical march, which saw the participation of thousands to protest against child labour. The march commenced on January 17, 1998 and it crossed 103 countries. Over seven million people, including world leaders, extended their support. The final leg of the march took place in Geneva on 1 June, 1998, while the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conference was in session. Such was the power of the march that it led to the adoption of the ILO’s Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (no. 182) which was formally acclaimed in 1999 and went on to become the fastest ratified convention in the history of ILO.
In the late 1980s, a disheartening reality came to the fore – the demand for cheaper carpets in Germany and other regions of the world had led to the rise of children being employed in the industry. Troubled by the situation Satyarthi launched the first-ever consumer campaign in the world on 10th May 1990. The success of this campaign led to the creation of a child labour-free label, Rugmark (now known as GoodWeave) in 1994. The GoodWeave label is rooted in three certification principles – no child labour, no forced or bonded labour in their supply chains and their workplace conditions are documented and verifiable. Going beyond rugs, GoodWeave is now working towards eliminating child labour in global supply chains of home textiles, apparel, fashion jewellery and bricks.
Global Campaign for Education is a civil society movement working to end the global education crisis and ensuring that all the states deliver the right to free and quality public education for every child. Satyarthi successfully led a countrywide movement to make education a Constitutional provision, which paved the way for the Right to Education (RTE) in 2009 in India.