The Unsung Heroes!

Pakistan In Picture

Asem Mustafa Awan

Islamabad: They are bread earners for their families doing hard work and facing the onslaught of their owners who are no less than slave masters.

They don’t have the option as the promises made by the policymakers are limited to a select few and Pakistan with a population of 220 million and more have child workers that could easily surpass the total strength of an ‘elite school’ which boasts of ‘tomorrow’s leaders’.

Iqbal Masih is not with us anymore. Born on January 1, 1983, he was shot down in broad daylight on April 16, 1995. The young Christian boy not even in his teen was the first one who raised his voice against abusive child labour in Pakistan and is honoured globally.

Sadly, Pakistan where it happened never honours this unsung hero who was solely responsible for changing the world’s perspective towards child labour.

The 12-year-old was shot down by the carpet mafia who enslaved children in making handmade carpets for international buyers. The buyers are unaware of the conditions that these debt slaves faced at the hands of these rich factory owners who in their greed book orders from world-leading brands.

The small hands of these children make the knots tight and tiny and with this comes higher the profit for the owner.

The fire in the Baldia Town inferno at Karachi claimed 260 lives as the garment factory had issues with protection money with a ‘political’ party.

The fire incident in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2012 claimed 112 lives in the garment factory where a short circuit was believed to be the reason.

Work is not bad as third world countries have masses faced with their sustenance issue and all the work that can earn some money is welcomed. The hard labour includes many things that a young child has never faced inside the protective environment of home but at work, he must endure it all as there are many hungry mouths to feed.

There are many stories even of the star players in Pakistan who have endured poverty but with parental support rise to stardom and feel no shame in sharing their experiences as what it was like to be poor.

That includes cricketers and squash legends besides many other stars who strived for years to shine and then make a difference in the lives of the others who were close to them.

It is time when steps should be taken for these child labourers who work for the livelihood of their dependents. They are real heroes but they should be protected and should not suffer the abuse or death threat or the end Iqbal Masih faced.

The writer is a journalist based in Islamabad and writes on a wide range of issues.

Photo Credit: Malik Sajjad & Anwar Abbas