Trafficked girl now child rights activist

Having met UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, Bill Gates and Melinda Gates, Anoyara Khatun is now a hero in her Sandeshkhali village in North 24 Parganas district. “Telling the stories from my village before an international audience and listening to stories from all over the world has made me more strong as an activist,” Khatun, who was once trafficked as a child domestic worker due to poverty, told PTI. As a youth leader guided by international NGO ‘Save the Children,’ she is now leading 80 groups of children, who are fighting against evils like child marriage, trafficking, child labour, besides other issues related to health and education. She said when she started raising her voice, the villagers did not take her seriously. “I faced a lot of criticism, but now things have changed. People have started listening to me,” she said. 

Last year, she had attended the Sustainable Development Goals Summit at the United Nations and this year she represented the children of India at the UN General Assembly. 

Besides meeting big names, she also met many child activists from different countries who suffered more trouble in their lives than her, but are now leading the fight for change in the society.