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Iqbal Masih Memorial

By Helena Palsgaard and Leah Dunne


On April 16, the world came together to remember Iqbal Masih, who was sold into child labor at the young age of 4 at a carpet factory in Pakistan by his mother. Here, he was forced to work hours upon hours of hard labor while being treated like he was worth less than dirt. Whenever his mother needed money for an operation, the money would be loaned off in his name and he would have to work to pay it off unknowingly.



For these loans, he worked from dawn till dusk, with an abusive boss and a horrible working environment. Iqbal continued paying for his family’s expenses causing him to get further into debt. One of the various loans he had to pay off was for his brother's wedding and Iqbal went to the wedding, not knowing he would be paying for the entire event. The total loan was 13,000 rupees, which is an estimated amount of 1,500 USD.


At the age of nine, a man who worked with the Bonded Labor Liberation Front (BLLF) paid the carpet factory a visit and gave a speech to the children who worked there that debt slavery was unlawful. This experience introduced a whole new world for Iqbal and he became a regular attendee of these meetings where he talked about all his trials and tribulations with being a debt slave.


Later, he was freed from his owner through the organization. Iqbal became the face of the organization where his story gained traction and he began traveling all over the world talking about his experiences. However, not every person agreed with his message and his former boss formed a group of like-minded people who all wanted Iqbal dead. They sent him various threatening messages and even stalked him to figure out his schedule.


After one of his many trips, he came back to his home in Pakistan to visit his friends and family. That evening, while on a bike ride with a relative, he was shot dead. The carpet manufacturers knew that he only visited his family on Christian holidays, so they had a man waiting armed and ready. His family was threatened to stay silent by the carpet manufacturers, and the man who really killed him walked free. Iqbal Masih died a worldwide symbol for the fight against child labor.


April 16 is now a day that marks the death anniversary of this amazing child rights activist. Everyone should be reminded of the wonderful acts of courage of this 12-year-old boy.. As he is a symbol of hope against the struggle to end child labor, He received the first World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child in 2000, five years after his assassination.



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