Thursday, July 13, 2017

Iqbal Masih, Age 12: Escaped slavery and became an activist against bonded labour

Iqbal Masih. (source)
Iqbal Masih became a slave when he was four years old. Technically he became a bonded laborer but in his region, the difference between the two is only an academic one. He was born in 1983 into to a poor community of Maridke, Lahore. It started when his family needed some money for his mother's operation. They took a loan of five thousand rupees from a local factory owner but since they were too poor to pay it back one of their children, Iqbal, was to start a job at the carpet factory and pay it from his earnings. Although it looks like a fair deal on the face of it but there were two problems; Iqbal was only 4 years old at the time and his daily wage of one rupee was never going to be enough to payback the load plus the exorbitant interest which had risen to a total of thirteen thousand rupees when he reached ten years of age. 
This modern system of slavery works like this. In the poorer regions of the country people have too few opportunities to education,  health or jobs. Business owners give out loans frequently for financial emergencies like weddings or surgeries. These business men offer that the borrowing family do not have to return it directly. Instead they can nominate someone from the family, usually a child, to work for the business men to repay the loan with his salary. On the face, it appears as a very generous offer because not only does the business man gives the loan, he also arranges for it to be paid back from his own money and provides jobs as well. In reality, these businesses get cheap labor and this system of bonded labor continues which keeps the factories running. This system effectively made Iqbal Masih and many other children like him slaves; working twelve hours a day six days a week for the coming years.

A carpet weaving factory much like the one where Iqbal Masih worked. (source)
The working conditions were tough and any lax in effort was severely punished by whippings and beatings. Malnutrition and overworking resulted in stunted growth of the children. At age ten, Iqbal was only four feet tall with a weight of about 30 kg. Iqbal escaped once but unlucky for him, he went to a police station. The police officer there was more interested in getting some money from the factory owner as a reward of returning the little workers. After this Iqbal was chained to the weaving machine and got starved and beatings as a reward.
Some time later he got to know about an organisation called Bonded Labor Liberation Front (BLLF) which can help him. He went to an awareness event held by the  BLLF. Although shy he shared his story there and learned that debt slavery has been banned by the government of Pakistan some years ago and it was illegal to keep someone bonded. He also met one of the union leader, Ehsan Ullah Khan who lend a sympathetic ear to Iqbal's story. Iqbal, armed with this new knowledge and with the help of Khan confronted his master at the factory. With the help of Ehsan Ullah Khan, he managed to convince the factory owner about the illegal nature of his labor force. The factory owner let Iqbal and some other children go free.
After this Iqbal started studying in a school run by BLLF. Alongside studies, the twelve year old started actively campaigning against debt slavery. Although too small for his age, he would demonstrate and give energetic speeches at bonded labor awareness rallies. He would go to factories and talk to other children and raise awareness of labor laws among them. He took some risks talking to those children but he cared little. It was like all the pent up energy in his small body was being released and he had found a positive outlet.  Ehsan took him to Sweden and the United States to raise awareness of child and debt slavery in Pakistan. His message was straight forward:

"Childrens should have pens in their hands, not tools"

Wherever Iqbal went, he became an inspiration. He received the 1994 Reebok's Human Rights  "Youth in Action" Award in Boston. He became ABC TV's person of the week. His story was shared on many mainstream international media outlets. Through his efforts many carpet factories were facing ban on sale in the local and international markets until they rectified their labor practices.  Iqbal and Ehsan had received some threats from the carpet factories' mafia. Upon his return to Pakistan Iqbal had decided to deepen his understand of the law and study to become a lawyer so he can help others less fortunate children but his luck had run out. On 15th April 1995 he returned to his hometown for Easter. The next day he was riding home on his bicycle after mass when he got shot by a twelve gauge shot gun.  He died on spot. The weapon was wielded by a local heroin. Many believe the carpet mafia was responsible for pulling the trigger. The truth matters little.

Iqbal died for a cause he strongly believed in. For him it was very simple. He did not want others to suffer the same way he did. He lived as a symbol of courage believing he could bring a change. The US department of labor announced an Iqbal Masih Award which is given out each year to honor the young hero's memory and to inspire others. Inspired by his speeches at their school, some American children raise funds to build a school in Iqbal's home town. He became a beacon of hope to the ten million child laborers in Pakistan but was extinguished too soon.

His cheeky smile and twinkling eyes gave others confidence that there exists a light in this world worth fighting for but his sudden demise showed that the struggle has only just started.

Iqbal Masih died when he was almost 13 years old. He was a leading activist against child labor and debt slavery around the world at that time.

Iqbal's story on ABC:
http://www.mirrorimage.com/iqbal/media/abc/person.wav



Sunday, June 18, 2017

Street School: The Gift of Education

Education is everyone's right. This is what our religion teaches us and this is what the world has come to realize. It is a tool of empowerment which if employed wisely enables individual freedom and development. Sadly, in Pakistan many are deprived of this basic right, mostly because of poverty but also because of other various social reasons. This has led to more poverty and has widened the economic gap between Pakistanis. Hence a very common sight is of people spending thousands on food and clothes right next to the people who do not have sufficient food for the next meal or enough to clothe themselves. Therefore, the school of Shireen and and Hasan Zafar for street children in Karachi deserves all the praise.
This makeshift school was started at the beginning of 2016. The motivation came from Shireen, the younger of the two siblings. While observing children begging on the traffic signals one day, the then 12-year old got to thinking of a way to bring education to those who cannot afford to go to school. She discussed it with her 15-year old brother who agreed with her. The idea was to educate and motivate the street children to go to school. What started as a small awareness session quickly turned into a regular class of 25. Soon the duo were running a classroom six days a week after their school hours. They setup tables and chairs near CafĂ© Clifton for this purpose where they would teach children basics like alphabets and counting from 4 pm to 6 pm. Their students were children who would otherwise be found begging or selling flowers / tissues in the street.
The humble beginnings of the street school by the siblings Shireen and Hassan (source).

It was not easy to convince the kids in the start as many of these were a source of economic support for their family. Pressure from the families would result in regular absentees. To solve this the duo started meeting the parents to make them realize the importance of allowing the children to go to school. For motivation Hassan and Shireen paid each student Rs20 after every class to help in their financial needs.
Children having an exam.

Now after more than a year the brother and sister duo are running two street schools educating about a hundred children. More teachers have joined their cause now. The school is arranged in three levels from playgroup till class one and they also have an exercise class on Friday. The curriculum being followed is the same which the siblings study in their private school. There have even been some examples of kids leaving their previous institutions and shifting to the siblings' school because of its higher quality of education. A pick and drop service has also been arranged.
Among the regular students of these schools are sons and daughters of maids and laborers, people who in normal circumstances could not afford such an education. They are now proud parents with hopes of a better future for their families because of the extraordinary initiative of Shireen and Hassan.
The founders standing proudly with their happy students.