After his graduation he began working as an engineer. A lucrative career lay ahead of him but the young man’s heart was not in an engineering job. He wanted to help people, especially the poor children who worked as bonded laborers and thus he quit his job.
He started a journal called ‘The Struggle Shall Continue’ in 1980 in order to create awareness about the problem of child labor. When he learned of a factory in which children were forcibly kept and made to work, he decided it was time to take action.
He joined hands with a group of like-minded people and conducted raids on factories from where he rescued several children and their parents who were held as bonded laborers. This was a dangerous idea and he often got beaten up.
Appalled by the wide-spread nature of the problem he formed the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), a movement dedicated towards eradication of human trafficking and bonded child labor.
Bachpan Bachao Andolan was the first organization of its kind in India which worked to enlighten the society about the rampant evil of child labor and highlighted the importance of rescuing these children and providing them the chance to live a normal and healthy life.
The success of the BBA led to the creation of the South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude (SACCS) in 1989. SACCS has till date liberated several thousands of child laborers working in different industries.
Kailash Satyarthi realized that the work did not end with the rescue; these children needed to be rehabilitated so that they could live a normal life. Thus the Bal Ashram was formed in Rajasthan where the newly-rescued children are taught basic skills.
In 1998, he led the Global march against child labor. The march was a grassroot movement to motivate individuals and organizations to do their bit in the fight against child labor. Several international organizations supported this march.
He has served as a member of the UNESCO’s Education for All and has addressed the U.N.’s General Assembly, International Labor Conference, and U.N. Human Rights Commission.