New Designs: Focus on Child Labor

Children's Express
New York Bureau

Fall 1998, v.14-3
Third World Child Workers Find Advocate In U.S. Senate

Editors: Scarlett Arias, 15; Andy Chan, 16; Alia Taliaferrow, 15
Reporters: Alex Berke, 10; Megan Burke, 13; Benjamin Daley, 9; Elizabeth Daley, 10; Arianna Hellerman, 13; Matthew Shopsin, 11

If parents knew that the toys being played with or the clothes being worn by their 4 and 6 year olds were made by other four and six year olds who work 77 hour weeks, would they still buy their kids those products?

Fourteen year old Iqbal Masih of Pakistan was forced to work in a rug factory when he was only 4 years old because his parents were in debt. Speaking to Children's Express through a translator, Iqbal talked about his six years working in what he called "bonded labor," weaving rugs with scissors and a knife. He was freed by Pakistan's Bonded Labor Liberation Front (BLLF) and was in New York for a visit.

"The children were forcibly taken from their homes at four in the morning and then returned at around seven or eight," said Masih. "Some children were chained to the wall with steel chains or ropes. There was such fear that if we stopped working for a minute or if we were running late in our work, we would be abused."

Iqbal said he had seen people abused and been abused himself. He said there was basically no law in the country because the government was controlled by the factory owners. "It was not a big deal for these factory owners to have a child or his parents killed," he said.

According to Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, many of the products we import and use in America are made by children like Iqbal Masih in a number of Third World countries. Harkin is sponsoring a bill in Congress which would make the United States stop importing products made by children who have no child labor laws in their own countries.

"A few years ago, it came to my attention that we were selling a lot of products in America that were made by children in ways we would never allow in this country," Harkin told Children's Express. "The more I investigated, the more I found that child labor was increasing around the world. And many of our manufacturing entities that we had shipped overseas-for example, tennis shoes, clothes, shirts, toys, carpets-were all employing children, many of them working in near slavery-like conditions. I felt it was not only in our best interest, but in worldwide humanitarian interest to do what we can to stop this practice."

Harkin said the major industries using child labor are the shoe and textile industries, and especially in countries such as Bangladesh, Thailand, India, Mexico and Pakistan. He said kids sometimes help to make carpets, or parts for the shoe industry because there are some parts of the work that's better for small fingers to do.

Because America is a big consumer of many of these products, if we decide not to buy them, some of the companies may go out of business. Also, some of the countries might have to change their child labor practices.

"Let's take a country like India," Harkin said. "All we're saying is if you want to employ child labor, that's your business, but if something's made by child labor we won't let it come into this country."

Iqbal said Harkin's bill was a good idea, but that it would only work if it was passed and enforced. He suggested people write to President Bill Clinton and the Pakistani government to state their support for the bill. "The bill will give us very strong support because our government is not willing to enforce child labor laws," said Ehsan Ullah Khan, president the BLLF. "They see children as being cheap and obedient labor."

According to the International Labor Convention, which the United Nations passed in 1973, the minimum age of employment is 15 years old. Harkin said the United Nations or some other third party would have to certify that countries exporting to the United States are following this rule. We thought a good idea might be to have some kind of labeling system, like the dolphin-safe symbol on tuna fish cans. Harkin said Germany was already doing something like this for rugs.

"Beginning next year, they will not import rugs into that country unless they have a rug mark," he said. "They've contracted with non-governmental organizations to inspect the plants, certify they're not using child labor and then give them a special mark."

Harkin said we had to take this kind of initiative because, often, there is nobody to advocate for kids in these countries. They're pushed around by these big companies and sometimes forced to work by their parents. They have nowhere to turn, and they don't speak up for themselves.

"Wherever I go I still see these goods made by the blood and the sweat of children," said Iqbal. "Every time I see them, they bring back terrible memories of torture and abuse."

[Published in the editor's note section of the June 1995 news service: ]

THANK YOU, IQBAL
Iqbal Masih, a Pakistani teen we interviewed for a story on child labor in our February news service package, was shot and killed last month while playing in front of his grandmother's home in the village of Murdike. He had received a human rights award from Reebok International Ltd. for his work in helping raise the awareness that children were being forced or sold into slavery to pay of their parents' debts. Iqbal was chained to a carpet loom from ages four to ten. He snuck away with help from the Bonded Labor Liberation Front, a private group fighting child labor. The Front believes the shooting was in retaliation for the support and attention Iqbal received in America and Europe. Some villagers think he was just caught in the crossfire of a double-barreled shotgun being wielded by a man high on opium. The Pakistani police won't comment and Children's Express, by deadline date, wasn't able to get any more information. Nevertheless, CE would like to thank Iqbal for his courage and the selflessness in which he crusaded for other children. We hope his memory will inspire others to work toward the end of this horrible practice in Pakistan, or any other country.
We will always remember him.

NEW DESIGNS FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT © 1998



	Children's Express New York Bureau
Fall 1998, v.14-3	Third World Child Workers Find Advocate In U.S. Senate
	Editors: Scarlett Arias, 15; Andy Chan, 16; Alia Taliaferrow, 15 Reporters: Alex Berke, 10; Megan Burke, 13; Benjamin Daley, 9; Elizabeth Daley, 10; Arianna Hellerman, 13; Matthew Shopsin, 11 If parents knew that the toys being played with or the clothes being worn by their 4 and 6 year olds were made by other four and six year olds who work 77 hour weeks, would they still buy their kids those products? Fourteen year old Iqbal Masih of Pakistan was forced to work in a rug factory when he was only 4 years old because his parents were in debt. Speaking to Children's Express through a translator, Iqbal talked about his six years working in what he called "bonded labor," weaving rugs with scissors and a knife. He was freed by Pakistan's Bonded Labor Liberation Front (BLLF) and was in New York for a visit. "The children were forcibly taken from their homes at four in the morning and then returned at around seven or eight," said Masih. "Some children were chained to the wall with steel chains or ropes. There was such fear that if we stopped working for a minute or if we were running late in our work, we would be abused." Iqbal said he had seen people abused and been abused himself. He said there was basically no law in the country because the government was controlled by the factory owners. "It was not a big deal for these factory owners to have a child or his parents killed," he said. According to Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, many of the products we import and use in America are made by children like Iqbal Masih in a number of Third World countries. Harkin is sponsoring a bill in Congress which would make the United States stop importing products made by children who have no child labor laws in their own countries. "A few years ago, it came to my attention that we were selling a lot of products in America that were made by children in ways we would never allow in this country," Harkin told Children's Express. "The more I investigated, the more I found that child labor was increasing around the world. And many of our manufacturing entities that we had shipped overseas-for example, tennis shoes, clothes, shirts, toys, carpets-were all employing children, many of them working in near slavery-like conditions. I felt it was not only in our best interest, but in worldwide humanitarian interest to do what we can to stop this practice." Harkin said the major industries using child labor are the shoe and textile industries, and especially in countries such as Bangladesh, Thailand, India, Mexico and Pakistan. He said kids sometimes help to make carpets, or parts for the shoe industry because there are some parts of the work that's better for small fingers to do. Because America is a big consumer of many of these products, if we decide not to buy them, some of the companies may go out of business. Also, some of the countries might have to change their child labor practices. "Let's take a country like India," Harkin said. "All we're saying is if you want to employ child labor, that's your business, but if something's made by child labor we won't let it come into this country." Iqbal said Harkin's bill was a good idea, but that it would only work if it was passed and enforced. He suggested people write to President Bill Clinton and the Pakistani government to state their support for the bill. "The bill will give us very strong support because our government is not willing to enforce child labor laws," said Ehsan Ullah Khan, president the BLLF. "They see children as being cheap and obedient labor." According to the International Labor Convention, which the United Nations passed in 1973, the minimum age of employment is 15 years old. Harkin said the United Nations or some other third party would have to certify that countries exporting to the United States are following this rule. We thought a good idea might be to have some kind of labeling system, like the dolphin-safe symbol on tuna fish cans. Harkin said Germany was already doing something like this for rugs. "Beginning next year, they will not import rugs into that country unless they have a rug mark," he said. "They've contracted with non-governmental organizations to inspect the plants, certify they're not using child labor and then give them a special mark." Harkin said we had to take this kind of initiative because, often, there is nobody to advocate for kids in these countries. They're pushed around by these big companies and sometimes forced to work by their parents. They have nowhere to turn, and they don't speak up for themselves. "Wherever I go I still see these goods made by the blood and the sweat of children," said Iqbal. "Every time I see them, they bring back terrible memories of torture and abuse." [Published in the editor's note section of the June 1995 news service: ] THANK YOU, IQBAL Iqbal Masih, a Pakistani teen we interviewed for a story on child labor in our February news service package, was shot and killed last month while playing in front of his grandmother's home in the village of Murdike. He had received a human rights award from Reebok International Ltd. for his work in helping raise the awareness that children were being forced or sold into slavery to pay of their parents' debts. Iqbal was chained to a carpet loom from ages four to ten. He snuck away with help from the Bonded Labor Liberation Front, a private group fighting child labor. The Front believes the shooting was in retaliation for the support and attention Iqbal received in America and Europe. Some villagers think he was just caught in the crossfire of a double-barreled shotgun being wielded by a man high on opium. The Pakistani police won't comment and Children's Express, by deadline date, wasn't able to get any more information. Nevertheless, CE would like to thank Iqbal for his courage and the selflessness in which he crusaded for other children. We hope his memory will inspire others to work toward the end of this horrible practice in Pakistan, or any other country. We will always remember him.

	NEW DESIGNS FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT © 1998