As we head towards a new year, we look back onto the things we accomplished and are resolute about what is to be done. The year 2021 has come to end and times like these make us remember all the things we have gone through, all the changes and adaptations. Humankind saw two decades of advancement in technology than what was previously expected.
It is a matter of gratitude and resilience that we faced the past two years with everything that it had to offer. If we talk about our country, it is not a hidden fact that countless people had to suffer unimaginable situations and uncountable people lost their loved ones and had to face hard times alone. Many children were orphaned and it would not be wrong to say that such families and children are on the verge to be forced to bear the brunt of this epidemic.
Every cause needs a voice. The voice that was vocal for matters related to children and common people was the voice of Noble Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, whether it was a matter for advocating for the fundamental rights to the matter of health, the global budget for children, a global campaign to free children from child labour or demand for making anti-trafficking laws.
His voice has always been the first and the most upfront. His organisations also worked effectively to highlight the condition of crores of children in India during pandemics not only at the national level but also at international forums by suggesting solutions to the problems.
The Covid pandemic gave rise to child labour. Kailash Satyarthi, along with other noble laureates, world leaders and international organisations initiated the Fair Share to End Child Labour programme in 2021. The objective of this campaign is to ensure the effective sharing of resources and social protection policies for children around the world.
The effectiveness of this campaign has increased as it has support from leaders such as the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres, Director General of the International Labour Organization Guy Ryder, Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Ghebreyesus, other global leaders such as Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, Inter-Parliamentary Union Secretary General Martin Chungong, and the president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
It has been unsettling to watch the country face the problem of a shortage of hospital beds and oxygen cylinders. There had been a huge gap between people who were able to afford the services and those who did not. Many people and leaders came forward to speak for the situation to change the existing medical arrangements, and one of such personalities was Shri Kailash Satyarthi. Satyarthi made a proposition to the Central government to consider making health a fundamental right.
He believes that it is critical to strengthen the medical system for every individual to practice their rights, and for this, it is important to recognise health as a constitutional right. This appeal was strongly supported by the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Mr Ashok Gehlot. He urged the Central government to consider the appeal.
The second wave of the pandemic had seen spiralling cases where there had been a shortage of hospital beds and medical facilities. Innumerable children had to lose their parents, making this time even tougher for them. Satyarthi was the first person to talk about orphaned children in the second wave of Covid.
His organisation Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) launched a 24-hour helpline number with the objective to provide mental and legal help to those who endured the hard times. He also urged the Central government to provide financial aid to the orphaned children after which many suggestions were adopted by the government and appropriate measures were introduced.
In collaboration with government agencies, BBA has freed more than 13,000 children from the shackles of trafficking and child labour. The organisation has officially freed more than one lakh children so far.
The account of the work done by Kailash Satyarthi in 2021 shows that he continues to strive for all the issues with the same energy and passion for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. Satyarthi was also appointed as its SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) Advocate by the United Nations in 2021. As an SDG advocate, Satyarthi will play a key role in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.