Anoyara Khatun is a crusader for child rights in Bengal

When Anoyara Khatun was freed from the clutches of child labour in 2007, she took a decision – no child in Bengal should suffer a similar fate.

Born at the small village of Sandeshkhali near to the Sunderbans in West Bengal, Anoyara lost her father, a farmer, at the age of five.

The family with five children grew up in impoverished conditions. Due to this, she had to go for forced labour in Delhi when she was 12. The little girl had to endure several hardships. She was saved from the hazardous child labour after six months due to the efforts of a volunteer group. That opened a new door of hope and survival for Anoyara.

Anoyara, who went back to her village, studied in detail about other children of her age, and the harassment and persecution they had to suffer. She then decided to fight for their cause. She first formed an outfit called 'Save The Children.'

She then formed 40 groups, each comprising 15 to 20 children, in various villages. These groups endeavour to stop child marriages and child trafficking, and give proper education to the kids. After two years, the number of children groups rose to 80. These groups were able to rescue many kids from child labour and stop child marriages. Anayora's child brigade was also able to give primary education to hundreds of kids.

Anayora's initiatives did not go unnoticed by the world and she was invited to give talks at the United Nations twice. She won the central government's Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2016.

Anayora is on a mission to protect the rights of children across the globe. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has joined hands with Anayora to help her succeed in the noble mission.