By: Liaqat Asher
As the world observes the 25th anniversary of the World Day Against Child Labour on June 12, we reflect on the ongoing challenges faced by children in Pakistan. Despite Pakistan being one of the first countries to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990, children and adolescents in the nation continue to grapple with severe hardships.
One poignant story that highlights these struggles is that of Iqbal Masih, a 12-year-old Christian boy who was murdered on April 16, 1995, for exposing Pakistan’s ‘carpet mafia,’ which relied heavily on child slavery.
Iqbal Masih was born in 1983 in Muridke, a commercial city near Lahore, to a poor Christian family. His parents, indebted to the tune of 600 rupees, sent him to work at a carpet factory at the age of four to help repay the loan. Iqbal and many other children endured long hours in cramped conditions, often bound by chains to the carpet looms to prevent their escape.
At the age of 10, realizing that his family’s debt would not be cleared anytime soon, Iqbal managed to escape from the factory. His courageous act did not end there. He became a vocal critic of the carpet mafia, urging the international community to boycott carpets made by enslaved children. Despite his physical deformities caused by years of malnutrition and harsh labor, Iqbal’s activism helped over 3,000 Pakistani children escape bonded labor.
Iqbal’s efforts brought him global recognition. He received the Reebok Youth in Action Award in 1994 and was honored in Stockholm and Boston. His story inspired the creation of organizations such as “Free the Children” in Canada and the Iqbal Masih Shaheed Children Foundation, which operates over 20 schools in Pakistan. In 2000, he was posthumously awarded the “World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child.” The United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs also established the annual “Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor” in his honor. Additionally, a square in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, is named after him.
In Pakistan, the government posthumously awarded Iqbal the Tamgha-e-Shujaat on March 23, 2022, recognizing his bravery 27 years after his assassination.
Despite such recognition, child labor remains a critical issue in Pakistan. Approximately 3.3 million Pakistani children are engaged in labor, which deprives them of their childhood, health, and education, condemning them to a life of poverty. Nearly a quarter of women aged 20-49 were married before the age of 15, and 31% before turning 18. Limited awareness and gender-biased social norms, coupled with frequent natural and human-made disasters, exacerbate the situation. Efforts to address child labor are hampered by a significant lack of official data on the exploitation of children.
Iqbal Masih’s story is both an inspiration and a stark reminder of the enduring issue of child labor. He demonstrated that age, educational qualifications, and economic conditions are secondary to the desire to effect change. As Iqbal once said, “Children should have pens in their hands, not tools.” His legacy continues to inspire efforts to eradicate child labor and ensure a brighter future for children worldwide.