Iqbal Masih

    Did you know that in some parts of the world, children are forced to work in harsh environments to make products? Iqbal Masih was one of these children, but escaped and helped over 3,000 other kids to freedom. He is my hero.

     Iqbal Masih was born on the first of January, 1983. He grew up in Pakistan, and his family was very poor. To try and get money, his father took a loan from a carpet factory owner. He said that Iqbal would have to work their until the debt was paid off. In the factory, he ate very little and was forced to spend his hours hunched over a moving carpet, tying knots. When they messed up, punishments were extremely severe, including hanging upside down in a closet, and getting burning oil poured on their skin. He escaped and tried to report the factory to the police, but was driven back to the factory and punished.

Iqbal joined the BLLF after escaping slavery and saved over 3000 children in Pakistan from illegal bonded labor. He definitely gave his life to this cause, as he was shot by an angry owner of a carpet factory at 12.

Iqbal Masih shows us that children can be heroes; you don’t have to be an adult to change the world.

Sources: Wikipedia  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iqbal  Kid Activists: Champions of Change By Robin Stevenson