Indian Nobel peace laureate Kailash Satyarthi has issued a powerful rallying cry to people around the world to join the fight against child labour and trafficking.
The children's rights activist, who is in Abu Dhabi this week for the Indiaspora Forum for Good, has launched a movement encouraging compassion. He believes people would take action if they understand the impact of exploitation if their family or friends were affected.
“What if this were your daughter or son? You would not sit quiet. You would act, we must all work and lead efforts to stop child slavery,” he said as he addressed the forum.
Mr Satyarthi, 71, and his team of volunteers in India have rescued more than 130,000 children from trafficking and illegal work in factories over four decades.
What if this were your daughter or son? You would not sit quiet. You would act, we must all work to stop child slavery
Indian Nobel peace laureate Kailash Satyarthi
In his autobiography Diyasalai (matchstick), published last month, he talks of the power of education to rehabilitate children.
“The diyasalai looks very small but it has enormous power, light because it can ignite one candle and that candle can ignite so many more, it's the source of light,” he told The National in an interview.
“I have launched a worldwide movement for compassion because I’m an optimist. I believe we must find new ideas, strategies to make a difference. Compassion is innate, I cannot teach compassion. We have to just dig it out of people.”
Joy of freedom
He was recognised for the Nobel Peace Prize along with Pakistan’s Malala Yousafzai in 2014 for his decades of work defending children’s rights.
Mr Satyarthi and his team have been beaten up by armed guards at factories and workshops during their work to expose units that forced children to work as bonded labour.
“There is nothing more inspiring than seeing the joy of freedom on the faces of children and the look on the faces of mothers and fathers who had lost all hope that they would ever hug their children,” he said. “My colleagues and I have been beaten, attacked but when we return the children to their families and see them cry out of joy, that is all we like to remember.”
In the balashram, or children’s home, he founded in Rajasthan, western India, about 100 rescued teenagers receive vocational training ranging from electrical to computer education. Many go on to work overseas, including in the Gulf region.
Mr Satyarthi told the story of Kenshu Kumar, 28, once a child car cleaner, and head teacher Ram Kripal, who he rescued in the 1980s from stone quarries in northern India.
Mr Kumar was eight years old when he was rescued, went on to graduate in engineering and has returned to teach children in the balashram.
“Kenshu Kumar, now he goes to other villages to motivate girls to study, create awareness against child labour, child marriage, child trafficking,” Mr Satyarthi said. “Ram Kripal is like a father figure and has taught several hundred children. The teenagers get training so they can get a job and become independent.
“Many of them work in the Gulf but they still call us, sometimes in the middle of the night, just to talk.”
‘Must not continue to fail our children’
It all started when Mr Satyarthi, an electrical engineer, left his job to start a magazine to give voice to the oppressed. In 1981 a father in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, contacted him for help to stop his teenage daughter being trafficked.
Although Mr Satyarthi and his team were unable to rescue her, he filed a legal case that helped free 36 children, men and women. Children are often kidnapped and trafficked to work in factories or brothels.
He began the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save Childhood Movement) and lobbied for laws in India to protect children. His campaigning resulted in 2006 legislation that made it illegal to employ children under 14 in restaurants and hazardous industries ranging from cigarette to jewellery factories.
Mr Satyarthi’s activism also extended overseas when he headed a global march against child labour in 1988, and children rescued from bonded labour in Asia, Latin America and Africa were among 1,000 demonstrators in Geneva. The International Labour Organisation approved an accord a year later to protect children from jobs that exposed them to danger and exploitation.
He says the problem remains deep-rooted and companies around the world continue to use children to make carpets and footballs, for example, and to work in mines
“We must not continue to fail our children,” he said. “The government [in India has] launched several agencies and rescue programmes but more work is needed, and also around the world.”
About 160 million children continue to be exploited as child labour and 250 million children do not attend school, according to United Nations figures.
Act to stop child labour
Mr Satyarthi repeated his call for action in the UAE before an audience of hundreds of Indians from technology, startup, education and non-profit organisations.
“In compassion, there is an inherent power to solve problems and suffering of other people,” he said. “We have to use this transformation power. We all have the moral responsibility to bridge this gap which is growing to help those who are suffering.”
He said that while the world was divided by war and conflict, there were people across the police, the judiciary, education, government, media and private companies who could help children.
“What could be a bigger crime that children so exploited and overworked that they have no time to dream?” he said. “The world has never been so wealthy, so well informed. We have all the technological know-how but in spite of this, millions of children are suffering.
“We must build compassionate leaders in all walks of life. I have hope for the world to join this movement and work to shape a world of good where every child can be safe.”
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
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RoboCop%3A%20Rogue%20City
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The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULTS
Time; race; prize; distance
4pm: Maiden; (D) Dh150,000; 1,200m
Winner: General Line, Xavier Ziani (jockey), Omar Daraj (trainer)
4.35pm: Maiden (T); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Travis County, Adrie de Vries, Ismail Mohammed
5.10pm: Handicap (D); Dh175,000; 1,200m
Winner: Scrutineer, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
5.45pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Yulong Warrior, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
6.20pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Ejaaby, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson
6.55pm: Handicap (D); Dh160,000; 1,600m
Winner: Storyboard, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap (D); Dh150,000; 2,200m
Winner: Grand Dauphin, Gerald Mosse, Ahmed Al Shemaili
8.05pm: Handicap (T); Dh190,000; 1,800m
Winner: Good Trip, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
The%20specs
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Bib%20Gourmand%20restaurants
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Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
