Iqbal Masih
Iqbal Masih ( Urdu اقبال مسیح; * 1982 in the village of Muridke , Pakistan ; † April 16, 1995 ibid) was a Pakistani boy who, at the age of four, was sold as a debt servant to the owner of a carpet factory for the equivalent of 12 US dollars , was later released and campaigned for children's rights.
Life
For six years, Iqbal Masih had to knot carpets twelve hours a day, often chained to the loom. As a result of long and hard work, inadequate nutrition and health care, his physical growth was stunted. When he was twelve years old, Iqbal was just as tall as a six-year-old.
Iqbal made several attempts to escape from the carpet factory, but was recaptured several times and punished by his "master". At the age of ten years, Iqbal was finally with the help of the Pakistani organization Bonded Labor Liberation Front (BLLF, Front for the Liberation of the bonded labor ) from the slavery escape. He was able to attend a school of the BLLF and was a hardworking student. In addition, he campaigned for children's rights and against - officially forbidden - debt bondage and helped to free thousands of enslaved children.
Through these activities Iqbal Masih became internationally known. In 1995, at the age of 12, he traveled to the USA to receive the human rights award from the Reebok Human Rights Foundation . At the award ceremony, he gave a speech in which he called for the abolition of debt bondage and exploitative child labor and schooling for all children. Iqbal also attended various schools in the USA.
murder
Shortly after his return to Pakistan, Iqbal Masih was shot dead near his home village of Muridke. The perpetrators and circumstances of the murder have not yet been precisely clarified. The official version says that Iqbal, his cousin Liaqat and his friend, on a bicycle to their uncle's, met the farm worker Muhammad Ashraf, who had just copulated with a donkey . Ashraf was high as a result of consuming bhang . There was an exchange of words and the three boys - according to him - laughed at Ashraf and insulted him, whereupon he shot his employer's rifle. Ashraf initially confessed to the murder after his arrest, but - like the other participants - retracted his testimony afterwards. So far there is no evidence to support the allegation that the murder was initiated by the Pakistani carpet industry.
consequences
A class at Broad Meadows Middle School in Quincy , USA , to whom Iqbal talked about his life on a visit, then collected money to build a school for Iqbal in Pakistan in his memory . The School for Iqbal has existed in Kasur since 1995 .
Iqbal's commitment also inspired the then 12-year-old Canadian Craig Kielburger to stand up against the exploitation of children and to found the organization Free The Children . In 2000, Iqbal was posthumously awarded the World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child .
literature
- Kuklin, Susan: “Come with me and be free!” - Iqbal Masih and the fight against child slavery , ISBN 3-570-14630-8
- D'Adamo, Francesco: "Iqbal - A boy fights for freedom", ISBN 978-3-473-58264-8
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Masih, Iqbal |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Pakistani child slave, activist for children's rights and against debt bondage |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1982 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Muridke, Pakistan |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 16, 1995 |
| Place of death | near Muridke, Pakistan |