A Connection a World Away. I yearned to feel cool, fresh wind on my face instead of the stuffy heat of the small room that had been my home for six years. I was young at the time, but I dreamed of escaping that place. And usually at the hands of the powerful warlords against whom they are peacefully waging battle. My every cell was aching for the outside world, with its smell of bakeries, the quiet roar of people milling about, and the freedom and space that so many take for granted. Iqbal Masih was born in Murdike, Pakistan, in 1983. I hope one day they will be heard, and freed. They visited schools and human rights groups, Iqbal spoke (through a translator) at an award ceremony with 2,000 people in attendance, appeared on TV and visited stores that sell Pakistani carpets. Life for Iqbal was tough as a child slave. The man warned me that every time I acted out of turn, more was added to what I and my family owed him. This story means a lot to me because in researching all about this boy, I grew to understand his life and wish I could have met him. His family, ended up selling him at the age of 4 to a rug business for just $12. I saw a true chance of being free. That’s one of the worst things about working in international human rights. We received the news at our office the day after he was murdered. I saw pictures of his dead body, his once animated and earnest face now completely silent, as he was laid to rest in a grave. He never got to see his dream come true but he still inspires children like me. He smiled and nodded, and soon my made-up escape plans began forming a foggy reality. Suddenly, I saw a man standing with his hands behind his back. Please enter the email address that you use to login to TeenInk.com, and we'll email you instructions to reset your password. I saw my mother, father, brother, and sisters for the first time in months. - twenty one pilots, addict with a pen, Which of your works would you like to tell your friends about? Adauto Alves. Most of these children who are bonded laborers are Christians, and most become enslaved the same way Iqbal did, because of unpaid debt. He was forced to tie knots into rugs in horrendous conditions, and being chained to his loom. Those six years took a toll on Masih; when he was 12, he had the malnourished body of a five-year-old. The man in the corner grasping his black stick was reason enough. He looked angry, and a gun appeared when he removed his hands from behind his back. It wasn’t his fault. I was happy. I was especially impressed by the use of first person, because that shows how much research you did to understand Iqbal Masih. He often went undercover to gather information, risking his life. The boy next to me buried his head under his blanket, but I stood as tall as I could, taking this moment to stretch my back, despite the stubborn C-shaped curve it had adopted from working. When I returned, bloody and bruised, everyone in the room had their heads buried. He said more after that, but my mind had momentarily stopped working. He and Khan had come to the United States to receive the award and educate Americans about the awful plight of child labor. Iqbal Masih. Because of this, always feeling pain and fear, every second felt like a lifetime, and I awaited the six hours of sleep that would come at the end of my twelve-hour work day. He even brought companies with child labor working for them down and those companies began to close. He was 12 years old. Please note that while we value your input, we cannot respond to every message. He was 12 years old. I told him everything about the mill and my wish to escape. Hunger and pain and ache in my bones fueled my determination. Some people gave me odd looks because of my scrappy clothes and bony appearance. My esophagus begged for me to cough, but even as a four-year-old I knew better than to make noise. Iqbal Masih died on behalf of the millions of children who have no voice. There was a cold chain around my ankle. Peshgi means loans, and it is the type of system by which I was enslaved. If I slipped, I would have to untie all the knots up to my mistake, and perhaps have to face more than the man with the stick. He whispered that it was on Sunday, and my eyes opened fast and wide, staring at him in disbelief. Favorite Quote:Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing it is stupid. Although that warning was seared into my brain, I couldn’t stop myself from standing up to the people in charge. A man stood at a podium and smiled at people as they sat down. I nodded, patted his hand, and then turned so he would not see my tears. Fighting for freedom is a worthy cause. The room was hot, and I felt sweat pool at the base of my neck and dot my forehead. It is not clear to this day whether the shooter sought out Masih because of his disruption of the carpet business or whether it was a random act of violence. “I want to do what Abraham Lincoln did,” Iqbal said in a documentary film that we made about his life. After that, there is a chance that he might be put in a torture chamber. “Iqbal’s dead,” she cried, waving the fax in front of me. Iqbal’s outspoken advocacy against child labor was obviously a threat to the status quo in Pakistan. Alphonse Nkubito. Iqbal Masih was shot dead on a dusty road outside of Muridke, Pakistan. There was a sudden pain in my stomach. With every intake, dust flurries scratched down my throat like fingers on a chalkboard. When people work at things constantly, they speak of how the time flies because of the intense focus on their task. The bones of my fingers screamed for a break, knotting and sweating and trying not to slip. Paula Van Gelder, my supervisor, came rushing to my cubicle, tears staining her cheeks. Masih finished four years of schoolwork in two, and hoped to become a lawyer. We were then put into a dungeon for a week with no food. Iqbal told us that children were often chained to the looms at night so they would not run away. When I met Iqbal he looked both younger and older than his 12 years. The same tools used to make carpets were often used to beat the children. A version of this article was first published in the Ashland Daily Tidings. My employer once told me as I was hung upside down (I had complained about the heat before I learned not to speak) that he couldn’t afford to open the door and allow the fresh air in because it would ruin the carpets. The Freedom Hero video quotes that now that Iqbal was free, he wanted to end child labor. After he left, I passed out and woke on the floor near my carpet loom. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and a permanent scowl. We received the news at our office the day after he was murdered. He had decided to become a lawyer, to fight the Pakistani legal system from the inside and find a way to liberate the slaves. Finally, at age 10 Iqbal escaped this place, that was keeping him as a slave and was FREE! Then on Easter Sunday 1995 he was murdered. He began speaking with a soft, calming voice. Freedom is a right that everyone is entitled to from birth. Page created on 3/2/2015 1:40:46 PM. At the meeting hall there was a crowd. It is the United States (and other wealthy countries like Germany and Japan) that provide a market for Pakistan’s carpets, towels, surgical instruments and sporting goods, all of which are often made by child laborers. Last edited 8/17/2020 4:18:58 PM. According to the Freedom Hero: Iqbal Masih, Iqbal was born in one of the places where child labor was most common, Pakistan. “I can’ t bear to think it’s somehow our fault.”. The man with the black stick walked in, presumably hearing my excited reaction. It was a challenge to breathe. Khan told me on the phone he was sure it was the carpet factory owners who had killed him. I was staring at the cracked ceiling above my bed when a boy next to me whispered that there was a freedom-rights group, called the Bonded Labor Liberation Front, meeting to discuss child labor. Over the next two years, I gained an education, traveled the world, received awards, and saved over 3,000 people who were in the same horrible predicament I once was. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that there are between 2 and 19 million child laborers in Pakistan, which is a predominantly Muslim country. Masih’s lasting legacy is an organization called Free the Children that continues the child liberation work Iqbal Masih bravely began. The urge to flee was written in each heartbeat, a message through each nerve synapse electrifying me. My back ached with a sort of pain unheard of at my age. Then he started a verbal war against child labor, and did actions like speeches and many other things in countries such as the U.S.. I was yanked from the world, staring and not believing as my body fell and my cousin screamed. I stood. From the corner of my eye, I saw another girl flinch when his sandals began clacking again. Sharing the full story, ... Iqbal himself had slaved on the looms from the age of four until he was rescued as a 10-year old by social activists. His battle against child labor A place where torture and slavery of innocent children was the norm. He crouched down so that I could see his silk paisley shirt glimmer under the faint light bulb. Iqbal Masih was shot dead on a dusty road outside of Muridke, Pakistan. Before turning and accepting my punishment, I waited until I heard the click of his boots right behind me and for him to whisper, leaning close to my ear, “Turn around.”. We try to make TeenInk.com the best site it can be, and we take your feedback very seriously. Iqbal Masih Brave activists who champion the rights of carpet factory slaves (like Iqbal), or who rehabilitate teenage soldiers in Somalia (like Elman), or who combat the prejudice against the HIV positive on the streets of Brazil (like Adauto), or who push for peace between the Hutus and the Tutsis (like Alphonse), often die.
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