International Women's day 2022: Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi's long-running battle for women's rights

Akash, 14-year-old younger sister of Tara Banjara of Biratnagar, Rajasthan, was going to have a child marriage. Tara vehemently opposed the decision of her parents. By mobilizing the support of educated and aware people, she put pressure on the parents. Eventually Tara was successful in stopping Akash's marriage. Tara, who stopped the child marriage of her younger sister, got 85 percent marks in class 12th last year. Tara is the first girl from the nomadic tribe Banjara community in her area to have passed 12th.

This is nothing less than a miracle for the Banjara community, who are cattle-grazers, wage laborers and sell wood from the forests. At the age of five-six years, Tara, who sweeps the streets with her mother, would never have thought that she would also read and write and one day pass 12th with top marks. Tara has also been honored with the Reebok Fit to Fight Award at the hands of film star Shahid Kapoor for creating social awareness. Presently she is also a beneficiary of Freedom Fellowship of Kailash Satyarthi Children Foundation, under which facilities are being provided to her to read and write. Presently she is pursuing her B.A.

There are thousands of girls like Tara whose lives have been changed by Shri Kailash Satyarthi. Therefore, he leaves an indelible mark not only as a child rights activist but also as a founder of women's rights, education, security, prestige and dignity.

It is pertinent to mention here that Mr. Satyarthi started his fight against child slavery four decades ago by freeing a child bonded laborer named Sabo from a brick kiln in Sirhind, Punjab. Inspired and motivated by the liberation of Sabo from slavery, Mr. Satyarthi founded the "Bachpan Bachao Andolan" in 1980.

Hundreds of Bal Mitra Grams (BMGs) girls run by Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation established by Shri Kailash Satyarthi are today making a name for themselves as change makers at national and international level. These girls were once child laborers. But when they were made aware of the importance of education by freeing them from the clutches of child labor under the leadership of Mr. Satyarthi and connecting them to BMG, since then they have been conducting awareness programs aimed at empowering the women and children of their surrounding villages. Together with the village and child panchayats, he has stopped hundreds of child marriages. She is also struggling against child marriage as well as untouchability and caste system in her nearby villages. She is getting the children enrolled in schools and is also presenting solutions to the problems of the schools in collaboration with the Gram Panchayat.

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These girls, the carriers of change, are busy mobilizing children today for their rights and safety. Bal Mitra Gram means such villages where there is no child labor and all children go to school. Payal Jangid and Lalita Duharia of Rajasthan and Champa Kumari of Jharkhand are notable among such makers of change. The eyes of the country and the world are on these heroines.

Payal Jangid, representing Rajasthan's Hinsla BMG, has been honored with the 'Changemaker' award by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation two years ago in New York. While Lalita Duharia, president of National Maha Bal Panchayat, who hails from Rajasthan, has been honored with 'Reebok Fit to Fight Award', while she is also a youth fellow from Ashoka Youth Venture. Champa of Jamdar BMG in Giridih district of Jharkhand has received the prestigious Diana Award of United Kingdom. Champa used to work as mica picker in the mica mines of Giridih district of Jharkhand.

Apart from Tara, Payal, Lalita, Champa, there are also brave girls like Radha Pandey, Saraswati, Preeti, Pooja, Deepika, Indra, Devli, Razia, Nandi, Phool Jahan, Phaguni's princess, Sahiba etc., who have set an example in front of the society. These girls, who have been child laborers, are today engaged in the campaign to make India daughter-friendly by becoming the heirs of change.

Sexual abuse of children especially girls is increasing in the country. Mr. Satyarthi termed the increasing day by day child sexual abuse in India as an immoral epidemic. We are trying our level best to control this. For this purpose, he organized a nationwide "India Yatra" in 2017 to end child sexual abuse and trafficking. Lakhs of women, youth, elderly and common people supported the cause of Mr. Satyarthi by participating in the entire 35-day India Yatra. The yatra came under pressure from the central and state governments, and they began efforts to change policies and laws to ensure the rights and safety of children.

Presently the 'Justice for Every Child' campaign is being run by Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation. The campaign aims to bring justice under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses) Act in at least 5000 cases in 100 districts of the country. Under this, the foundation will also provide facilities for legal and health facilities, rehabilitation, education and skill development opportunities to children who have been victims of sexual abuse and rape. Mental health support will also be provided to victims of child sexual abuse and their families.

In the quagmire of child labor both boys and girls are equally trapped. But girls have to go through a double curse when they are sexually abused. In this way Shri Satyarthi is engaged in carrying forward the caravan of restoring freedom, education, security, prestige and dignity of half the population by freeing them from the double-triple curse. Her worldwide campaign gives hope that we will be able to create a safer and happier world for daughters.

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