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Child Labour is one of the biggest problems Pakistan is currently facing. Young kids who are supposed to be in schools are working in factories for a few hundred rupees. It is becoming a necessary evil not only in Pakistan but most of the third world countries. In the world’s poorest countries, around 1 in 4 children are engaged in child labor. There are many people who are currently working for the eradication of Child labor, but none have been more successful than Iqbal Masih.
Many of us not know about him, he is one of Pakistan’s forgotten hero. At age of 4, he was sold to a carpet factory only for about 12$. He used to work there for 12 hours, 7 days a week, without proper nourishment. He was just 4 feet long and weighed 20 kilograms. But at age 10 he escaped and later caught by police and returned to the same person.
He said that if he repeated the same thing again they would hang him upside down but as he came to know that child labor is unlawful, he escaped again this time to BLLF. He completed four years of education in just two years there.
He not only made speeches in Pakistan regarding this practice but also went to the Sweden and United States of America. He told that they tie the child laborers there with ball and chain. Through his activism, he freed around 3000 children from the torture. His will was to become a lawyer and work against the child labor mafia. At the age of just 11, he received Reebok Human Rights award in Boston.
While he was returning from the United States of America, many people advised him not to go back as many people in Pakistan (especially related to carpet industry) were trying to kill him,but he said he has to finish what he started. Just as anyone would have predicted, he was killed on 16 April 1995 by Ashraf Hero outside his grandmother’s house in Muridke.
His work inspired the creation of Free The Children, Iqbal Masih Shaheed Children Foundation, several schools were named after him in Italy and many books were written on him. A symbol of struggle and bravery he was not appreciated openly in Pakistan as the Govt defended the carpet industry and even the media said that Carpet industry is right on its words. Some believed that child labor is essential in these industries.
Iqbal Masih is a symbol of struggle and war against bonded labor, not just for Pakistan, but for the entire world.
