Rather, they believe that leaders of the carpet industry disliked the influence Iqbal was having and ordered him murdered. How did Iqbal Masih escape? Tahir Ikram, a Pakistani reported, filed the story to the Reuters but was ignored by global media. As "bonded laborers" working to pay off family debts, Iqbal and the other children in the factor were forbidden to leave and punished severely if they tried. Iqbal also suffered from kidney problems, a curved spine, bronchial infections, and arthritis. In many ways, Iqbal was made into an adult when he was sent to work as a carpet weaver. However, it ran rampant due to a corrupt government and a police force that was living off the bribes of local businessmen. As his understanding of labor laws and human rights grew, he began using his energetic personality to speak on behalf of the enslaved workers. *The problem of bonded child labor continues today. After working six years as a carpet weaver, Iqbal one day heard about a meeting of the Bonded Labor Liberation Front (BLLF) which was working to help children like Iqbal. Iqbal began speaking at BLLF meetings and then to international activists and journalists. He would sneak into factories and begin asking the children about their experiences and if they were slaves. His death story was made controversial as police recorded an FIR that said that Masih was shot by a man whom the boy and two relatives had seen having sex with a donkey. Education was not compulsory or widely available in Pakistan. Iqbal's mother, Inayat, worked as a housecleaner but found it difficult to make enough money to feed all her children from her small income. Even though this was an incredibly risky job, his malnourished body and stunted growth made him appear to be only around six years old so he was rarely perceived as a threat. He worked from early morning until evening and was often treated badly. Top Answer. But he was not really an adult. At age ten, he was less than four feet tall and weighed a mere 60 pounds. Iqbal and the other bonded children were required to squat on a wooden bench and bend forward to tie millions of knots into carpets. Iqbal Masih’s life was cut short just shy of 13 years but his powerful and eloquent speeches encouraged thousands of bonded laborers and child slaves to follow his example. These employers specialize in this kind of barter, where the employer loans family money in exchange for the bonded labor of a small child. Iqbal became one of the many child bonded laborers at the carpet factory. The room in which he worked was stifling hot because the windows could not be opened in order to protect the quality of the wool. At the meeting, Iqbal learned that the Pakistani government had outlawed peshgi in 1992. Only two light bulbs dangled above the young children. After work, Iqbal snuck away to attend the meeting. However, when their debt went unpaid for two years she was forced to “loan” Iqbal as a laborer to pay off the debt. Despite death threats from the organized business mafias that dominated the communities, Iqbal continued to speak against their practices with confidence and eloquence. For a very poor family in Pakistan, the only way to borrow money is to ask a local employer. MoralHeroes is an archive of inspirational men, women, and youth throughout history that have sacrificed for the betterment of others socially, physically, politically, economically, or environmentally. The children were required to follow a specific pattern, choosing each thread and tying each knot carefully. Iqbal often did these things and received numerous punishments. In 1983, Iqbal Masih was born in the poor community of Muridke outside of Lahore, Pakistan. Despite his short life, his passionate and powerful message encouraged thousands to seek freedom and inspired many more around the world to join in his efforts. After hearing Iqbal’s story, one of the union leaders named Ehsan Ullah Khan organized an effort to free Iqbal from bondage. Everywhere he went he inspired others (especially children) to become involved in the mission to end child slavery. Iqbal Masih was born in Muridke, a small, rural village outside of Lahore in Pakistan. Unfortunately, the police officer was more willing to receive the “finder’s fee” for escaped slaves and returned Iqbal to Arshad, Iqbal’s owner. The children were not allowed to speak to each other. The BLLF sent him to speak at businesses and demonstrations all over Pakistan where bonded slavery was known to exist. There are still an estimated 75,000 slaves in Pakistan Today. However, very few businesses actually released their slaves. Iqbal ran away from the factory twice. He ran to the local police and explained how the employer was beating the children and keeping them as slaves. Although, illiterate, when he escaped from the factor, Iqbal was a bright child, mastering five years of schooling in less than three. He spoke about his own experiences as a bonded child laborer. This system of peshgi (loans) is inherently inequitable; the employer has all the power. "They tell us, 'We'll burn your fingers in oil if you even try to leave. By 1986 an older son of Saif Masih was about to get married. With his powerful personality, he educated the slave laborers and encouraged them to escape. While his mom was away at work, his older sisters took care of him. He brought awareness and promoted education so that others could stand up for their rights and end the injustice in sweatshops around the world. In addition to these costs, the loan grew ever larger because the employer added interest. The original story was that the boys stumbled upon a local farmer who was in a compromising position with a neighbor's donkey. Iqbal, too young to understand his family's problems, spent his time playing in the fields near his two-room house. Despite the official report, most everyone believes that Iqbal Masih was assassinated by an agent of the Carpet Manufacturer Mafia who already held influence over the police and that Ashraf Hero was framed for the murder. 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Why the person who was having sex with a donkey killed only Iqbal-- not the two other relatives-- led the media not to believe the donkey story. Very few poor children learnt to read and write. After wandering countryside for a few days, Iqbal eventually met a representative of the Bond Labor Liberation Front (BLLF), an activist organization seeking to end the enslavement endured by over twenty million adults and nearly eight million children in Pakistan. Frightened and perhaps high on drugs, the man shot at the boys, not intending to specifically kill Iqbal. When others were asked to speak before the crowd Iqbal volunteered. For the next six years, twelve to fourteen hours a Iqbal studied very hard, finishing four years of work in just two. At the direction of the police officer, Iqbal was chained to the carpet machine and Arshad forced him back to work with a combination of physical abuse and starvation. Iqbal worked six days a week, at least 14 hours a day. As punishment, he was hung upside down by his heels and then chained for a time to his loom. It was not unusual for employers to pad the total, keeping the children in bondage for life. In the mid-1990’s, a bright young youth made a global impact on child slavery. The most noticeable thing about Iqbal was that he was an extremely small child, about half the size he should have been at his age. Iqbal became a debt slave at an early age, for the owner of a carpet factory who then sold him on. Iqbal Masih, Pakistan, received The World's Children's Honorary Award 2000 posthumously, for his struggle for the rights of debt slave children. Answer. Punishment included severe beatings, being chained to their loom, extended periods of isolation in a dark closet, and being hung upside down. By the time Iqbal was ten years old, the loan had grown to 13,000 rupees (about $260). He was luckier n his second try. The celebration would include feasting and processions. Bonded labor, child labor, and slave labor were all outlawed in Pakistan. In late 1994, a twelve-year old boy whose stunted body size and weigh made him look half his age appeared on ABC World News to describe his years as a virtual slave in Pakistan. Iqbal became an international known spokesperson for the BLLF, participating in dozens of raids on sweatshops and liberating over three thousand Pakistani child laborers. Iqbal did not go to school. If the children talked back, ran away, were homesick, or were physically sick, they were punished. On Sunday, April 16, 1995, Iqbal spent the day visiting his family for Easter. In addition, the government canceled all outstanding loans to these employers. One organization, Free the Children was started by a Canadian youth named Craig Kielburger who had heard about Iqbal’s story and wanted to help make a difference. Iqbal was required to work an entire year without wages in order to learn the skills of a carpet weaver. Shortly after Iqbal's birth, his father, Saif Masih, abandoned the family. Because of his powerful story, Iqbal Masih began visiting other countries, raising awareness of child slaves and advocating for their freedom. It was a moment that stunned viewers. This was a very dangerous expedition, but the information he gathered helped close down the factory and free hundreds of children. When Iqbal was 10 years old he made up his mind to escape. He was riding home on a bicycle with some friends after attending mass earlier in the day. The historical figure of importance, Iqbal Masih was a young Pakistani boy who was forced into bonded labor at age four. As of yet, there is no proof that this was the case. The 2014 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Kailash Satyarthi on grounds of prevention of child labor and female education. In return, Iqbal was required to work as a carpet weaver until the debt was paid off. Once free, Iqbal was sent to a BLLF school in Lahore. “I would like to do what Abraham Lincoln did… I would like to do it in Pakistan” -Iqbal Masih. Shocked, Iqbal knew he wanted to be free. He brought awareness and promoted education so that others could stand up for their rights and end the injustice in sweatshops around the world. Iqbal was around 5 or 6 when he started working in the carpet factory. For the next six years, twelve to fourteen hours a day, six days a week, the boy worked at a loom in a carpet factory. Iqbal was the recipient of the prestigious Reebok Human Rights Youth In Action Award in 1994. Though stunted by malnutrition and weakened by lack of exercise, Iqbal and a few of his friends escaped. After much convincing about the illegality of his factory, Arshad freed Iqbal and some of the other child slaves. When he was 4 years old, Iqbal’s mother Inayat needed funds to pay for his older brother’s wedding. After spending some time with his mother and siblings, he headed over to visit his uncle. After being freed at age ten, Iqbal became an activist against bonded child labor. Iqbal Masih was murdered on April 16, 1995] Anyone who knew Iqbal Masih, the 12-year-old boy recently assassinated in Lahore, Pakistan, by someone believed to be a feudal landlord and carpet manufacturer, was struck by his brilliance. He had endured hot, cramped conditions, air filled with wool debris and countless whippings, beatings, and cuttings whenever his work slowed. Many say that he shuffled his feet when he walked because of pain. Millions of children, especially in Pakistan and India, work in factories to make carpets, mud bricks, beedis (cigarettes), jewelry, and clothing, all with similar horrific conditions as Iqbal experienced.