Child abuse can play itself out not only in how its victims feel but in what they do years later. Children who suffer abuse have much greater chances of being arrested later as juveniles and as adults.

Every recognized country in the world, except for the United States and the collapsed state of Somalia, has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, pledging to uphold its protections for children.

When Chennamma and Yelamma "enrolled" in the Barefoot College they were stone crushers. And Kalavati and Zayda were house maids. Today they are barefoot solar engineers who have learned to fabricate, wire, and set up solar energy systems.