Shailendra Pandya (born 27 March 1987, Udaipur) is an Indian child rights activist and former member of the
Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights,
Government of Rajasthan
The Government of Rajasthan is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Rajasthan and its districts of Rajasthan, 41 districts. It consists of an executive branch, led by the governor of Rajasthan, as well as judiciary and legis ...
. In 2022, he became the director of Gayatri Seva Sansthan (GSS).
In October 2024, he received recognition for contributions to child welfare at the Indo-Arab Leader summit in Dubai.
Early life
Pandya was born in 1987 in
Udaipur
Udaipur (Hindi: , ) (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura'') is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, about south of the state capital Jaipur. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Udaipur district. It is the historic capital of t ...
, Rajasthan. He graduated from the
University of Rajasthan
The University of Rajasthan, informally known as Rajasthan University (RU, ISO: Rājasthān Viśvavidyālaya), is a public state university located in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. It was founded in 1947 by an Act of the State Legislative Assembl ...
in 2009 with a degree in computer engineering. He completed his master's degree in social work at
Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth University
Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth (Deemed-to-be University) is a Deemed University in the city of Udaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of ...
in 2012.
Career
Pandya began his professional career working to protect child rights and joined the
Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights as state in charge of Child Labour Cell. There he was involved in policies and programs for the eradication and rehabilitation of
child labour
Child labour is the exploitation of children through any form of work that interferes with their ability to attend regular school, or is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such exploitation is prohibited by legislation w ...
Notable works
In 2019, during an interstate rescue in
Surat
Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...
with
Rajasthan Police
The Rajasthan Police is the law enforcement agency for the state of Rajasthan, Rajasthan, India and is headquartered in Jaipur, the state capital.
History
The history of Indian Police Service, Indian police under British Raj, British rule ...
, he rescued 138 children workers who had been brought there to work. 128 of the children were from Rajasthan.
On 12 June 2022, he was involved in a 'Child Labour Free Udaipur' project
in which 91 children were rescued from various workplaces and 17
FIRs were registered against 54 employers. 60 of the children were re-enrolled in education.
During the
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
pandemic he conducted a Situational Analysis of Tribal Child Labour, where 865 migrant children returned to their villages for rehabilitation. He worked with the district administration, creating a helpline to report cases, which prevented 15
child marriages
Child marriage is a practice involving a marriage or domestic partnership, formal or informal, that includes an individual under 18 and an adult or other child.*
*
*
*
Research has found that child marriages have many long-term negative con ...
.
He was a speaker at Tedx Pradhikaran at D Y Patil Vidyapeeth in 2023.
Recognition
*Leadership Excellence Award: Outstanding Contribution for Protection of Child Rights in India (2022)
*India’s 100 under 40 ‘Social Leaders’ award: Child Rehabilitation and Child Rights in India (2022)
* Social Change Makers award: Child protection (2017)
* Laadli Award: child protection and girl child education in tribal areas (2014)
References
External links
Shailendra Pandya YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pandya, Shailendra
Living people
1987 births
Indian children's rights activists