Iqbal Masih (; 1 January 1983 – 16 April 1995) was a
Pakistani Christian child labourer and activist who campaigned against abusive
child labour
Child labour is the exploitation of children through any form of work that interferes with their ability to attend regular school, or is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such exploitation is prohibited by legislation w ...
in Pakistan.
He was assassinated on 16 April 1995. On 23 March 2022 (
Pakistan Day
Pakistan Day (, lit. ''Yaum-e-Pakistan'') is a national holiday in Pakistan primarily commemorating the adoption of the first Constitution of Pakistan during the transition of the Dominion of Pakistan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on 23 ...
), he was posthumously awarded the
Tamgha-e-Shujaat by the government of Pakistan.
Family background and bonded labour
Iqbal Masih was born on 1 January 1983 in
Muridke
Muridke (Punjabi language, Punjabi / ), is a city and headquarters of Muridke Tehsil of Sheikhupura District in Punjab Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 37th largest city of Pakistan by population. M ...
, a village outside of
Lahore
Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
in
Punjab
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
, Pakistan, into a poor
Catholic Christian family.
His parents were Saif Masih, a labourer, and Inayat Bibi, who worked as a house cleaner. Saif later abandoned the family, leaving Inayat to work and Iqbal's older sisters to take care of him and his siblings.
In 1986, Saif Masih was to marry off one of his sons but he lacked savings and was unable to finance this: banks would not provide loans while government aid programs were few. He took a loan of 600 rupees from a (carpet factory owner), using the only collateral he had, his children. The loan was to be paid off by four-year-old Iqbal's labor, and included undisclosed interest and expenses, an institution known as . Due to the illegality of selling children, the transaction was informal, allowing the loaner to add arbitrary expenses to the loan without oversight.
Expenses were to include the cost of a year of training (during which Iqbal would not be paid), tools, food and fines for any mistakes Iqbal was to make.
He was paid 1 rupee a day.
Due to the high interest rate at which the loan was taken, it stood at 13,000 rupees prior to his escape.
At the carpet maker's, Iqbal was chained to a loom and made to work as much as 14 hours a day. He was fed little and beaten, more than other children because of his attempts at escaping and refusal to work.
These conditions stunted his growth; he had the height and weight of a 6-year-old when he was 12.
Explaining the background behind
bonded labour
Debt bondage, also known as debt slavery, bonded labour, or peonage, is the pledge of a person's services as security for the repayment for a debt or other obligation. Where the terms of the repayment are not clearly or reasonably stated, or whe ...
ers in Pakistan, American professor
C. Christine Fair states that "Large numbers of Christians in the Punjab and Sindh, in particular, are trapped in bonded labour or slavery in work like brick kilns and carpet-weaving. Around 80% of brick kiln workers in some areas are Christians working to pay off family debts long since paid in absolute terms, yet who are illiterate and remain powerless to do anything about their circumstances. The plight of Pakistan's bonded labourers came to international attention briefly with the murder of 12-year-old Christian Iqbal Masih in 1995".
Escape and activism
At the age of 10, Iqbal escaped his slavery, after learning that bonded labour had been declared illegal by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
He escaped and attempted to report his employer Ashad to the police, but the police brought him back to the factory seeking a finder's fee for returning escaped bonded labourers. Iqbal escaped a second time and attended the
Bonded Labour Liberation Front
Bandhua Mukti Morcha (BMM) (, or Bonded Labour Liberation Front (BLLF) is a non-governmental organisation in India working to end Debt bondage, bonded labour. Based in New Delhi, it was founded in 1981 by Swami Agnivesh who continued as its chair ...
(BLLF) school for former child slaves and quickly completed a four-year education in only two years. Iqbal helped over 3,000 Pakistani children that were in bonded labour escape to freedom and made speeches about child labour all over the world.
He expressed a desire to become a
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters.
The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...
to better equip him to free bonded labourers, and he visited other countries, including
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, to share his story, encouraging others to join the fight to eradicate child slavery.
In 1994 he received the
Reebok Human Rights Award
The Reebok Human Rights Award honoured activists under the age of thirty who fought for human rights through non-violent means. Each year, the award was given to four or five individuals. Each received a grant of US $50,000 that was to be used to ...
in Boston, and in his acceptance speech he said: "I am one of those millions of children who are suffering in
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
through bonded labour and child labour, but I am lucky that due to the efforts of
Bonded Labour Liberation Front
Bandhua Mukti Morcha (BMM) (, or Bonded Labour Liberation Front (BLLF) is a non-governmental organisation in India working to end Debt bondage, bonded labour. Based in New Delhi, it was founded in 1981 by Swami Agnivesh who continued as its chair ...
, I go out in freedom I am standing in front of you here today. After my freedom, I joined BLLF School and I am studying in that school now. For us slave children,
Ehsan Ullah Khan and
BLLF have done the same work that
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
did for the slaves of America. Today, you are free and I am free too."
Death
Iqbal was fatally shot by the "carpet mafia," a gang that killed slaves if they ran away from a carpet factory, while visiting relatives in
Muridke
Muridke (Punjabi language, Punjabi / ), is a city and headquarters of Muridke Tehsil of Sheikhupura District in Punjab Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 37th largest city of Pakistan by population. M ...
on 16 April 1995,
Easter Sunday
Easter, also called Pascha (Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek language, Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, de ...
.
He was only 12 years old.
His funeral was attended by approximately 800 mourners. A protest of 3,000 people, half of whom were younger than 12, took place in Lahore demanding an end to child labor in the week that followed.
His mother said she did not believe her son had been the victim of a plot by the "carpet mafia".
However, the BLLF disagreed because Iqbal had received death threats from individuals connected to the Pakistani carpet industry,
the most recent of which had been two weeks prior to his death.
Following his death, Pakistani economic elites responded to declining carpet sales by denying that they were using bonded child labour in their factories and by employing the
Federal Investigation Agency
The Federal Investigation Agency (; reporting name: FIA) is a border control, criminal investigation, counter-intelligence and security agency under the control of the Interior Secretary of Pakistan, tasked with investigative jurisdiction on u ...
(FIA) to brutally harass and arrest activists working for the BLLF. The Pakistani press conducted a smear campaign against the BLLF, arguing that child labourers received high wages and favourable working conditions.
Legacy
* Iqbal's cause inspired the creation of organizations such as
We Charity
WE Charity (), formerly known as Free the Children (), is an international development charity and youth empowerment movement founded in 1995 by human rights advocates Marc and Craig Kielburger. The organization implemented development progra ...
, a Canada-based charity and youth movement, the Iqbal Masih Shaheed Children Foundation, which has founded over 20 schools in
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, and
GoodWeave International (formerly Rugmark).
* In 1994, Iqbal visited
Broad Meadows Middle School in
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy ( ) is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county. Quincy is part of the Greater Boston area as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in ...
, and spoke to 7th graders about his life. He inspired the famous afterschool program run by teacher Ronald Adams called ODW (Operation: Day's Work). When the students learned of his death, they decided to raise money with a financially productive program called "Penny Power," and build a school in his honour in
Kasur
Kasur (Punjabi language, Punjabi / ; ; also Romanization, romanized as Qasūr; from pluralized Arabic word ''Qasr'' meaning "palaces" or "forts") is a city to the south of Lahore, in the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. The city s ...
, Pakistan.
* Iqbal's story was depicted in a book entitled ''Iqbal'' by Francesco D'Adamo, a fictional story based on true events, from the point of view of a girl named Fatima.
* In 1994 he received the ''Reebok Youth in Action Award''.
* In 1996 the Movimiento Cultural Cristiano (MCC- Christian Cultural Movement) and Camino Juvenil Solidario (CJS- Youth Solidarity Path) promoted 16 April as International Day Against Child Slavery in Spain and South America.
* In 1998 the newly formed Istituto Comprensivo Iqbal Masih, a comprehensive education institute comprising several schools in
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
, Italy, was named after him.
* In 2000 he received a posthumous
World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child
The World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child was founded in 2000 and is run by the World's Children's Prize Foundation (WCPF), based in Mariefred, Sweden.
The WCPF is a non-profit organisation, independent of all political and r ...
and the Piazzale dei Traghetti Iqbal Masih was inaugurated in
Genoa
Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
, Italy.
* The 2006 book ''The Little Hero: One Boy's Fight for Freedom'' tells the story of his legacy.
* In 2009 the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
established the annual Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor.
* On 16 April 2012, the Council of Santiago, after a proposal of Movimiento Cultural Cristiano, inaugurated a square named after Iqbal in
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.
* The 2014 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to children's rights advocate
Kailash Satyarthi
Kailash Satyarthi (born 11 January 1954) is an Indian social reformers of India, social reformer who campaigned against child labor in India and advocated the universal right to education.
In 2014, he was the co-recipient of the Nobel Peace ...
on grounds of prevention of child labour and promotion of
female education
Female education is a catch-all term for a complex set of issues and debates surrounding education (primary education, secondary education, tertiary education, and health education in particular) for girls and women. It is frequently called girls ...
. Satyarthi mentioned Masih in his Nobel Peace Prize award speech, dedicating it to him and other martyrs.
* In 2016, the "X Iqbal Masih Rugby Tournament" was held in
Catania
Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...
,
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
.
* On 17 April 2017, the
University of Salamanca
The University of Salamanca () is a public university, public research university in Salamanca, Spain. Founded in 1218 by Alfonso IX of León, King Alfonso IX, it is the oldest university in the Hispanic world and the fourth oldest in the ...
committed itself to celebrating every 16 April as a Day Against Child Slavery on behalf of Iqbal Masih.
* In May 2019,
Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy released an
Urdu
Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
-animated short titled 'Iqbal Ka Bachpan' which explores the story of Iqbal under its 4-part series, "Shattering the Silence".
* On 23 March 2022, President of Pakistan
Arif Alvi
Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi () is a Pakistani politician who served as the 13th President of Pakistan, in office from 2018 to 2024. He was a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from June 2013 to May 2018 and again from August to September 2018. ...
conferred the
Sitara-e-Shujaat (award for bravery) posthumously to Iqbal.
* In December 2023, Shoaib Sultan directed the film
Gunjal
''Gunjal'' is a 2023 Pakistani action crime thriller film inspired by the true story of a Pakistani child labour activist Iqbal Masih, who led a movement against child labour in 1990s before his tragic murder. The film is directed by Shoai ...
, based on the murder of Iqbal Masih.It features
Ahmed Ali Akbar
Ahmed Ali Akbar () is a Pakistani actor who primarily works in Urdu television. He marked his television debut at the age of thirteen in PTV's drama ''Stop Watch''. He guest-starred in the 2013 drama film '' Siyaah'' and started his professional ...
,
Resham
Resham ریشم(Born: Saima Shah صائمہ) is a Pakistani film and television actress and model.
She made her film debut with ''Jeeva'' in 1995, and was a leading actress of Lollywood during the 1990s. Her notable film credits include ''Je ...
and
Amna Ilyas
Amna Ilyas () is a Pakistani film and television actress, and model. She is the younger sister of models Salma Ilyas and Uzma Ilyas. Amna began her modeling career at the age of twenty, and a few years later, she moved on to acting in 2013. She ...
in leading roles.
* "Iqbal - The Forgotten Story" is an upcoming and yet unreleased Pakistani movie directed by Raja Saad. The movie stars Alyy Khan & Adnan Siddiqui.
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
"Who Was Iqbal Masih?"mirrorimage.com.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Masih, Iqbal
1983 births
1995 deaths
Pakistani child activists
Pakistani children's rights activists
Pakistani Christians
Child murder in Pakistan
Assassinated Pakistani activists
Pakistani slaves
People murdered in Punjab, Pakistan
Deaths by firearm in Pakistan
People from Sheikhupura District
Debt bondage in South Asia
Violence against children
Child abuse in Pakistan
20th-century slaves
Pakistani Catholics
Recipients of Sitara-i-Shujaat