Bikash Kumar is a 7th grader who lives in Bendi, a village in Bendi panchayat. He is 13years old and the eldest in his family which consists of three other siblings. Bikash is the Secretary of the Bal Panchayat of his village. Bal Panchayat is the body which, according to him, gives every child a voice and an opportunity to raise their opinion. As a member of the children’s council, he is aware of his duties and knows how he and his fellows can make other children of the village realise the implications of child labor and it's harmful impact on a child’s present as well as future.
Bikash comes from a family where his father works as a farmer and mother is a housekeeper. When he was 7years old he used to go to the forest to collect mica with other people. His parents were completely unaware of the hazardous effects of child labor and also how mica could affect a person’s health and especially a child’s. There were incidents when his hands would get gashed and that would cause bleeding but he didn’t get much medical help as he and his parents didn’t take it seriously. “Whenever I used to get hurt, my mother would scold me and ask me not to play outside; I was least bothered to tell her the truth. Going to the forest to collect mica was also a kind of game for all of us.” says Bikash.
Little did he know that this was not any sport or game which could be played in free time! To him, coming to school felt more like a task imposed upon him earlier, he waited for the school bell to ring so that he could run to the forest and collect stones and mica.
He realized the importance of education in his life gradually when he started going to school more frequently. The high point in his life came when he was elected as the Secretary of the Bal Panchayat of his village. As the secretary, he was involved in spreading awareness on issues related to child rights such as experiencing education as the primary right of every child and fighting against all the exploitations against children that existed in the village.
Child labour was a problem and he had seen it closely in his childhood too. Child marriage was another problem, which he and his teammates had to grapple with at the village level. Both these issues served as impediments to children’s right to survival, protection, development and participation. Most importantly, the role Bal Panchayat played in creating awareness on the vitality of education is noteworthy. Bikash realizes it and says, “If I had known how education and learning has made me more confident, how it has uplifted my self-respect. I would have stopped going to the forest long back or may have never gone there.”
It was refreshing to see little Bikash speaking so confidently about his present. He speaks fondly of his engagement with Bal Panchayat’s functioning and his experience in fighting for child rights. He remembers his past and his transformation is visible in the way in which he comprehends child labour as an exploitative malpractice which hinders a child’s growth. The way he could reflect back on his life to deeply understand the consequences while simultaneously altering it for good, was one positive change that one could observe in him.

12 years old Rakesh was selected as a jury member for the World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child.

"When I was only 6 years old, I was taking my parents' cattle out to graze with some of my friends when a man offered us sweets. My friends and I decided to take some and were kidnapped. The sweets had something bad in it and we were too sick to run away. When I tried, I was caught and told I would be thrown out of the train. I went to three different houses before I ended up at the place I was forced to work as a slave for 6 years. I slept in a cowshed and was given tea that was drugged every morning to make me work. If I refused to drink it, I was beaten and it was forced down my throat. I worked from five in the morning to ten at night doing various chores. I was sent to cut grass and often cut my fingers from being dizzy from the drugs.

My father had been searching for me and so with the help of the BBA, was able to rescue me. When I was found, I could not communicate with my parents as the man who mistreated me spoke another language. I had lost my mother tongue. I stayed with my parents for a few days after which I came to Bal Ashram. I was happy at Bal Ashram as I was no longer forced to work. I could play games and attend school (non-formal education). Learning and reading Hindi is my favourite. I love to communicate with drawings. I still love to draw."

A completely transformed Rakesh, now has dreams of becoming a teacher. It pleases us to see a child come from witnessing the worst and grow into a spectacular person.

Jyoti is a 13 years old girl living with her step-father and ill mother in BMG Kalina of Meerut. She was identified as an out of school children by the KSCF activists during the household survey in November 2016. As November is not the month of enrolment, the CSW’s had to wait till April for her enrolment. During April 2017 the CSW’s approached Jyoti’s father but he refused to send her to school, emphasizing that she needs to take care of the household activities. However regular visits by the CSW’s, and Jyoti’s willingness to continue her education convinced her father and she joined school in the month of July.

But months passed and Jyoti became irregular to school. This was observed by the Bal Panchayat President of Kalina BMG, Bharti. Bharti is a child rights activist and she believes in an environment where every child is beneficiary of their rights. Not seeing Jyoti in her class made Bharti anxious and she held a meeting with her fellow Bal Panchayat members. They made a decision of visiting Jyoti’s parents and bringing her to school.

Convincing Jyoti’s parents was exhausting, as they were unwillingly to send her to school. They would rather ask her to be home and take care of the household duties. Jyoti was delighted to see her school fellows in her house but her parents made a stubborn decision of not sending her to school. Seeing the scenario of her house, the Bal Panchayat members started protesting outside Jyoti’s house, shouting slogans about child rights. Hearing the numerous slogans the family became impatient and opened the door for the Bal Panchayat children. One of the Bal Panchayat member, Shefali began expressing her way out of child labor and in to child participation. She is an opinionated young girl with a tragic history, but this did not become a hindrance for Shefali. She is now the Vice President of her Bal Panchayat. Hearing the story of Shefali and looking at the confidence of Bharti, Jyoti’s parents were convinced. They believed in the CSW and the Bal Panchayat and agreed on sending Jyoti to school again.

At present Jyoti is attending school, while Shefali and Bharti are conducting regular meetings with the School Management Committee and Gram Panchayat looking out for ways which will ensure Jyoti’s regular attendance and participation in school.

Being the eldest daughter of her family 15-year-old Mamta is an optimistic girl with a clear vision of what she wants to be in the future and where she sees herself. Mamta Kumari is a member of the Bal Panchayat of her school. She is in 9th standard and has two younger siblings. In such a tender age she also looks after her siblings as her father stays in Hyderabad working as a carpenter and her mother collects mica for a living. Both her siblings are also studying in the same school; her brother is in 6th standard and her sister in 2nd. Mamta is well versed of her responsibilities as an elder sister and also as a community member of her village. She aspires to become a member of such an organization through which she could help and teach the under privileged. In such a small age she has been the reason for bringing children to school. Before the intervention of BMG, the education quality and facility of her school was poor in quality but she as a responsible student took the effort of reading by herself in the school and she also helped others read. After the intervention of BMG in 2010 she along with other members of the Bal Panchayat raise the issue of ignorant behavior of teachers towards students after which the conditions have improved. Though she joined school in the 1st standard yet she didn’t come as her parents took her with them to collect mica. Because there was no good education facility so she didn’t think it was necessary for her to come to school. A girl who aspires to do well for the society when given the platform started to work for the same. Through Bal Panchayat she not only did convince her parents to send her and her siblings to school but also most of the village members whose children were not enrolled in schools. She along with her Bal Panchayat members went to those families and convinced them. She has a feeling of disdain for child labor not only because it is illegal but also because she knows and felt how it can harm any child.

Mamta not only works actively against child labor, she also was part of a rally and meeting which was held with the stakeholders (Mahila Mandal, Yuva Mandal) to work against child marriage and stop every child marriage that is being practiced in the village. Her wish to bring a change in the environment of the village was evident through the voices that she and her team rose infront of the Gram Panchayat. They wrote applications to the Gram Panchayat for various issues like construction of hand pump, availability of dress, cycle and also the appointment of teachers.

Mamta is gratified that she has been able to empower herself and the village community. She is now also proud of her community members as they have changed their approach towards children and are sending them to school rather than mica mines.