PERSPECTIVE: What are we waiting for? Sustainable societies begin with children By Kailash Satyarthi, nobel Peace Prize laureate and founder, Kailash Satyarthi Children's foundation in the foothills of the himalayas, many years ago, in September 2015, more than 200 world leaders i met a small, skinny child labourer. he asked me: came together to adopt a 15-year plan for sustainable “is the world so poor that it cannot give me a toy development. i applaud the United nations for and a book, instead of forcing me to take a gun or a incorporating the need to eliminate child labour, forced tool?” another time, a child-mother from the streets labour, modern slavery and human trafficking, as well of Colombia who had been trafficked, raped and as a strong emphasis on inclusive and equitable quality enslaved, asked me this: “i have never had a dream. education, into the Sustainable development Goals Can my child have one?” a Sudanese child, kidnapped (SdGs). for the first time, clear targets have been by an extremist militia and forced to kill his friends and set to end these evils, and the relationship between family, once asked me: “is this my fault?” them and sustainable growth has been recognized. My fellow activists and i had been calling for this for many Slavery did not end with abolition in the 19th century. years. even in modern times and developed countries, it still exists in its cruellest forms. Most recent data show Sustainable societies can only have a prosperous that there are still 150 million child labourers in the future when their children are safe, educated and world; that 59 million children of primary school age healthy. Put simply, ending child labour, slavery, are out of school; and that 15 million girls under 18 trafficking and violence against children is directly tied are forced into marriage each year. Millions of children to achieving most of the other development goals. live with a disability that makes them more likely to be marginalized or miss out on education. Together, we have framed a will for a better future. however, what matters most is the will in the words, Millions of undocumented immigrants and people on not the words in the will. the margins of society are trafficked and forced into domestic labour or the sex trade. in crisis-affected addressing the United nations SdG Summit in new areas, slavery is much more rampant, as children are York, i, on behalf of the most marginalized children, given guns instead of toys and girls are sometimes demanded action, not promises. We know progress is sold for less than a pack of cigarettes. Unfortunately, possible: Since the last development agenda, both the 37 million children living in crisis-affected countries are number of people living in extreme poverty and the out of primary or lower-secondary school. i have met number of primary-school-aged children out of school children toiling on cocoa farms in Côte d’ivoire, selling have been halved successfully. flowers in Colombia, sewing footballs in Pakistan, working in mica mines and brick kilns in india, and our generation can be the one that puts a complete living unimaginable horrors in nigeria. end to the evil of child slavery. We can provide an education for every last child. We have an opportunity all children deserve a fair and equal start in life. They to embrace peace, equality, inclusivity and sustainable deserve freedom and a childhood. They deserve development by ensuring freedom for all. comprehensive, well-rounded, quality education. These have to be viewed not just as basic rights but But we can only do so when governments, as a means towards a more inclusive and sustainable businesses, civil society and citizens unite, and when society. each carries out its role wilfully and effectively. We The STaTe of The World’S Children 2016 86