Iqbal Masih
Iqbal Masih was a Pakistani child laborer born in 1982 who became a prominent advocate against child labor practices in the carpet-making industry. At the age of four, he was bonded to a carpet maker due to his family's financial difficulties. Under harsh conditions, he worked long hours for minimal pay, enduring physical abuse and malnutrition until he managed to escape at the age of ten. After his escape, Iqbal sought help from organizations dedicated to ending bonded labor and began to speak publicly about his experiences, gaining international attention for his plight. He traveled to various countries, including Sweden and the United States, raising awareness about child labor and urging consumers to reconsider their purchases from regions that exploited children. Tragically, Iqbal was murdered in 1995, shortly after returning to his village, amidst speculation that his activism had made him a target. His legacy continued to inspire efforts to combat child labor, leading to initiatives such as the Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor established by the U.S. Congress. Iqbal Masih's story highlights the struggles faced by many children in labor and continues to resonate in discussions about human rights and child welfare.
Subject Terms
Iqbal Masih
Pakistani activist
- Born: 1982
- Birthplace: Muritke, Pakistan
- Died: April 16, 1995
- Place of death: Muritke, Pakistan
Significance: Iqbal Masih's family sold him into bondage when he was four years old. He escaped six years later and became an outspoken advocate against the practice of child labor. He was murdered in 1995 at the age of twelve.
Background
Iqbal Masih was born in 1982 in the poor, rural village of Muritke, Pakistan. His father, Saif, was a laborer who was considered an unreliable worker because of a rumored drug problem. Some sources say Saif left his family after Iqbal was born. Iqbal's mother, Inayat, worked as a housecleaner but struggled to earn enough money to take care of her family. While his mother worked, Iqbal was raised by his older sisters.
In 1986 Masih's family arranged to bond the four-year-old boy to a local carpet maker in return for a loan that was the equivalent of about US$7 to US$12 at the time. Some sources say the family needed the money to pay for the wedding of their oldest son. Other accounts claim Inayat Masih needed the money for an operation.
A Life in Bondage
Under the bonding system, Masih was required to work for the carpet maker until the loan was paid off. Children were highly valued by carpet makers in Asia because their small fingers were able to tie more intricate knots.
Masih was forced to work twelve hour days, seven days a week, with only a few minutes of break each day. He received a salary of one rupee per day, which was supposed to go toward paying off his family's debt. However, the carpet factory owner charged interest on the loan, forced him to buy his own tools and food, and docked him for his mistakes. As a result, Masih worked for years without making progress on paying back the debt. According to the Independent of London, Masih's family owed 13,000 rupees to the factory owner at the time of Masih's escape.
Masih and other child laborers in Pakistan were badly malnourished and often beaten and abused. Masih worked under these conditions until he was ten years old. He heard that Pakistan had outlawed child labor, so he escaped from the factory and ran to the police. While it was true that Pakistan had officially banned child labor in 1992, the practice was allowed to continue under corrupt local authorities who were often bribed by factory owners. The police returned Masih to the carpet maker.
After Masih's escape, the factory owner threatened to hang Masih from his toes if he ran away again. He then chained Masih and the other children at the factory to their machines. Masih was able to escape a second time and made his way to a rally of the Bonded Labour Liberation Front (BLLF), an Indian organization that seeks to end the practice of bonded and child labor. Masih was in ill health after years of poor nutrition and abuse. He was smaller than the average boy his age, and an official with the BLLF described him as "wheezing like an old man."
Masih returned to the factory and arranged for the other children to be freed. He began attending a special school designed for children who had been freed from bondage. He completed four years of education in just two years. He toured cities across Pakistan, speaking out against child labor and pushing the government to do more to combat the practice.
In November 1994 Masih travelled to Sweden to bring his message to an international audience. He told his story of captivity and called upon the nations of the world to stop buying rugs and carpets from countries that allow child labor. That December Masih arrived in the United States to receive the Reebok Youth in Action Award at a ceremony in Boston. The award was presented to a person under the age of thirty who made a difference in the fight for human rights.
Masih returned to his village in Pakistan. Reports in the Independent and from BLLF officials say Masih had been receiving death threats for speaking out against the local carpet industry. On April 16, 1995, Masih and several other boys were riding their bikes in Muritke when Masih was shot and killed. Villagers, local police, and a Pakistani human rights group said the shooting was the result of a dispute with a farm worker. One man was arrested in the crime. Officials with the BLLF contended that Masih was targeted because of his outspoken stance against child labor.
Impact
Even before Masih's death, efforts to raise awareness about child labor in the Pakistani carpet industry had resulted in a loss of sales. According to a 1995 article from the Los Angeles Times, worldwide carpet exports from Pakistan fell from $183 million in 1992 to $149 million in 1994. Exports to the United States dropped from $55 to $42 million during that period. In the weeks after the shooting, the industry reported a $10 million drop in sales.
During his time in Boston, Masih spoke to students at Broad Meadows Middle School. The students began a letter-writing campaign, calling on nations where child labor exists to end the practice. They also asked local carpet stores to make sure their products were not produced by child labor. After Masih was killed, the students began a campaign to raise money to build a school in Pakistan. By the end of 1995, the campaign had raised more than $25,000.
In 2000 Masih received the World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child. The United States Congress established the Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor in 2009. The award is presented annually by the US Department of Labor.
Personal Life
Masih had hopes of becoming a lawyer. He wanted to work to end child labor and free children held in slavery. He planned on using the $15,000 prize from the Reebok Youth in Action Award to pay for law school. Brandeis University in Massachusetts had offered him a full scholarship when he chose to attend college.
Bibliography
"Child Labor Critic Is Slain in Pakistan." New York Times, 19 Apr. 1995, www.nytimes.com/1995/04/19/world/child-labor-critic-is-slain-in-pakistan.html?mcubz=0. Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.
Crofts, Andrew. The Little Hero. Vision, 2006.
Gannon, Kathy. "Young Activist's Death Hits Pakistani Carpet Sales." Los Angeles Times, 31 May 1995, articles.latimes.com/1995-05-31/business/fi-8016‗1‗child-labor. Accessed 6 Sept. 2017.
Haider, Eraas. "He Was 12-years-old and Wanted to Liberate Slaves in Pakistan." Express Tribune, 16 Jan. 2016, blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/31584/iqbal-masih-the-boy-who-stood-against-child-labour-can-you-empathise-with-iqbal-masih-and-other-12-million-children-forced-into-bonded-labour/. Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.
Kuklin, Susan. Iqbal Masih and the Crusaders against Child Slavery. 1998. Henry Holt and Co., 2013.
Masih, Iqbal, and Blair Underwood. "Presentation and Acceptance of Reebok Youth in Action Award." Global Backlash, edited by Robin Broad. Rowman & Littlefield, 2002, pp. 199–200.
McGirk, Tim. "Boy Leader of Child Labour Protest Is Shot Dead." Independent, 18 Apr. 1995, www.independent.co.uk/news/world/boy-leader-of-child-labour-protest-is-shot-dead-1616194.html. Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.
"2017 Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor." United States Department of Labor, www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/issues/child-labor/iqbal. Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.