Asma Jehangir 
The death of a Great journalist, Zafaryab Ahmed
Friday, February 16, 2007
Find all missing people, The Supreme Court(SC) tells govt
Find all missing people, SC tells govt
* AG says Amina Masud’s husband could not be found despite repeated efforts
* Court adjourns hearing till March 8 on AG’s request
By Mohammad Kamran
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday issued fresh directions to the government to speed up the process of finding missing people.
The case took an unexpected turn when complainant Amina Masud, whose husband is among the missing people, told the court that a human rights lawyer had seen a number of people, including her husband, in the custody of intelligence agencies.
Amina Masud, who is also leading a protest campaign by families of the missing people, said that Attorney General Makhdoom Ali Khan’s statement that the government was progressing on the case was false, and accused the government of covering up illegal detentions.
The attorney general told the court that Amina’s husband Masud Janjua had not been found in the custody of any intelligence agency. He said that the government had failed to trace Janjua despite repeated efforts.
Amina challenged Khan’s statement and presented in court a reported interview of human rights lawyer CM Farooq who claimed to have seen some of the missing people, including Masud Janjua, Faisal Faraz, Attiqur Rehman, Muhammad Altaf, Hafiz Abdul Basit, Obaidullah, Hafiz Idrees Abbasi and Gul Muhammad, in the detention cells of the intelligence agencies.
CM Farooq had also been taken into custody by the intelligence agencies for supporting the families of the missing people, but was released after two weeks. He had filed an affidavit in the SC, saying that he had seen the missing people in intelligence agencies’ custody.
The attorney general informed the court that he held a meeting at his office on Wednesday, but CM Farooq had refused to attend the meeting, NNI reported.
Amina Masud said that the intelligence agencies had also picked up two persons, Masood and Mudasir, for supporting the families of the missing people.
The attorney general told the SC that computer expert Muhammad Mansoor and businessman Malik Zulfiqar had been detained under the Security of Pakistan Act 1952. They were picked up by the intelligence agencies in March 2005 and June 2006, he added.
He said that Alim %
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\02\16\story_16-2-2007_pg1_2
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
France leads global push to protect child soldiers
France leads global push to protect child soldiers
February 6, 2007
A child soldier holds up a machine gun in an ethnic Hema militia camp near Bunia in the Democratic Republic of Congo
©Reuters
The United Nations children's agency UNICEF, which sponsored the Paris meeting, estimates that more than 250,000 children were recruited or used by armed forces in 2006.
In a report issued on Monday, British-based charity Save the Children said children as young as eight had been recruited by government forces in southern Sudan, while over 8,000 were being used in rebel and militia groups in West Africa.
By Crispian Balmer
PARIS, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Governments from around the world pledged on Tuesday to do more to prevent children from becoming soldiers and to enable young fighters to return to a normal life.
Amongst the 58 nations that signed up to the so-called "Paris Principles" were 10 of the 12 countries where the United Nations says child soldiers are often used on a "massive scale".
"For the first time, states are solemnly committing themselves to applying and respecting the principles of the struggle against the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict," said French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy.
The United Nations children's agency UNICEF, which sponsored the Paris meeting, estimates that more than 250,000 children were recruited or used by armed forces in 2006.
"This really is a crime against humanity," Douste-Blazy told delegates during the two-day conference.
The "Paris Principles" follow on from guidelines laid down in the ground-breaking "Cape Town Principles" which were agreed at a symposium in South Africa in 1997.
But whereas that document was adopted by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the Paris accord comes with the blessing of official governments.
"This is unique because it sets out state of the art procedures and practices to be applied by governments, NGOs and the U.N. when dealing with child soldiers," said Rima Salah, the special representative for U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Among the countries that signed the document, which carries moral rather than judicial weight, were a number of African states with high numbers of child soldiers, including Angola, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Chad.
DARFUR
"We are particularly worried about Sudan and Chad," Salah said. "There is a real security vacuum at the Chad-Sudan border and children are being recruited from the (refugee) camps."
A political and ethnic conflict raging in the western Sudanese region of Darfur has been spilling over into Chad, but Sudan is defying international pressure to allow a strong force of U.N. peacekeepers to deploy into the area.
In a report issued on Monday, British-based charity Save the Children said children as young as eight had been recruited by government forces in southern Sudan, while over 8,000 were being used in rebel and militia groups in West Africa.
One diplomat said the fact Sudan publicly backed the "Paris Principles" did not mean the international community expected a change of heart over the Darfur crisis.
The Paris document includes 20 specific commitments to protect children from being employed by armed forces or groups.
Amongst these are a pledge to press for the release of all children under arms and to prosecute those who unlawfully recruit children.
Many of the measures refer to ways of reintegrating child soldiers into society, saying such minors should be viewed "primarily as victims" and helped to overcome their traumas.
"Most of the international and legal framework we have (today) regards the non-recruitment issue. These principles talk about what to do with children once they have been released. That's what is unique about it," the U.N.'s Salah said.
© 2007 Reuters
RELATED ARTICLE
Down to Slavery
More News from Reuters
February 6, 2007
A child soldier holds up a machine gun in an ethnic Hema militia camp near Bunia in the Democratic Republic of Congo
©Reuters
The United Nations children's agency UNICEF, which sponsored the Paris meeting, estimates that more than 250,000 children were recruited or used by armed forces in 2006.
In a report issued on Monday, British-based charity Save the Children said children as young as eight had been recruited by government forces in southern Sudan, while over 8,000 were being used in rebel and militia groups in West Africa.
By Crispian Balmer
PARIS, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Governments from around the world pledged on Tuesday to do more to prevent children from becoming soldiers and to enable young fighters to return to a normal life.
Amongst the 58 nations that signed up to the so-called "Paris Principles" were 10 of the 12 countries where the United Nations says child soldiers are often used on a "massive scale".
"For the first time, states are solemnly committing themselves to applying and respecting the principles of the struggle against the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict," said French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy.
The United Nations children's agency UNICEF, which sponsored the Paris meeting, estimates that more than 250,000 children were recruited or used by armed forces in 2006.
"This really is a crime against humanity," Douste-Blazy told delegates during the two-day conference.
The "Paris Principles" follow on from guidelines laid down in the ground-breaking "Cape Town Principles" which were agreed at a symposium in South Africa in 1997.
But whereas that document was adopted by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the Paris accord comes with the blessing of official governments.
"This is unique because it sets out state of the art procedures and practices to be applied by governments, NGOs and the U.N. when dealing with child soldiers," said Rima Salah, the special representative for U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Among the countries that signed the document, which carries moral rather than judicial weight, were a number of African states with high numbers of child soldiers, including Angola, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Chad.
DARFUR
"We are particularly worried about Sudan and Chad," Salah said. "There is a real security vacuum at the Chad-Sudan border and children are being recruited from the (refugee) camps."
A political and ethnic conflict raging in the western Sudanese region of Darfur has been spilling over into Chad, but Sudan is defying international pressure to allow a strong force of U.N. peacekeepers to deploy into the area.
In a report issued on Monday, British-based charity Save the Children said children as young as eight had been recruited by government forces in southern Sudan, while over 8,000 were being used in rebel and militia groups in West Africa.
One diplomat said the fact Sudan publicly backed the "Paris Principles" did not mean the international community expected a change of heart over the Darfur crisis.
The Paris document includes 20 specific commitments to protect children from being employed by armed forces or groups.
Amongst these are a pledge to press for the release of all children under arms and to prosecute those who unlawfully recruit children.
Many of the measures refer to ways of reintegrating child soldiers into society, saying such minors should be viewed "primarily as victims" and helped to overcome their traumas.
"Most of the international and legal framework we have (today) regards the non-recruitment issue. These principles talk about what to do with children once they have been released. That's what is unique about it," the U.N.'s Salah said.
© 2007 Reuters
RELATED ARTICLE
Down to Slavery
More News from Reuters
Children of Conflict
Children of Conflict
Around the world, millions of children are the unheard voices of war. And the horrors they witness today will inform the adults they become tomorrow. Will they grow up to be the next leaders, teachers, freedom fighters or terrorists?
Nadene Ghouri
Children of Conflict is a four-part series which explores the lives of children whose lives are blighted by growing up in conflict zones. Nadene Ghouri goes in search of what the past has created and what the future holds for these young people.
She travels to Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Lebanon but begins her journey in Gaza, where she meets children growing up in an environment of frequent violence and constant economic depression.
PART ONE: Gaza
14 year old Fatima
One of the Worlds biggest news stories, for one of the smallest and most claustrophobic strips of land on earth. Gaza is a virtual prison with no way in and hardly any way out.
In an exclusive story, we talk to the grandchildren of Fatima Al Najar – the oldest female Palestinian suicide bomber. Bewildered and grieving for their grandmother, the children say all they want to do is to follow suit and become ‘martyrs’ themselves.
13 year old Rana
"I want to do the same. And I will recruit the other children of this town for martyrdom", says 14 year old Fatima. When she grows up she wants to study chemistry and engineering at university. "That's if I don’t become a martyr first".
Her views are contrasted with another girl, 13 year old Rana – who dreams of being a journalist "so I can tell people how we suffer here. I am a child, I know what death means, I know what war means, I know what blood means. Me and all the children here know what it means."
10 year old Tehal
Or Tehal, just ten years old – and who wants to be the first female Palestinian president.
Her three wishes? To clean up the mess left behind by Israeli bulldozers, to give children their rights "because they have no rights here" and finally, "to build a new Gaza".
PART TWO: Lebanon
The town of Qana has become synomous with Lebanon's tragedy. Believed to be the site where Jesus performed his first miracle of turning water into wine, the town has earned a place in the history of infamy for two massacres of children ten years apart. The first, in 1996, when Israel bombed a UN base sheltering 800 people – most of them children. Over 100 children were killed or maimed.
The second massacre was during last year's war with Lebanon. A rocket hit a house where several families had taken shelter in the basement. It collapsed – burying the children in rubble. 17 were killed. The images of children being carried from the rubble, looking as though they were sleeping, horrified the World.
The film goes back to find the survivors of the first massacre - now teenagers – to find that although most of them have rebuilt their lives, this summers slaughter devastated them emotionally. And there are extraordinary parallels between the two stories.
In 1996, 3 year old Hussein Belhas was believed dead, and was put in a morgue freezer. Remarkably he was discovered to still be alive, and was rescued. Now 13, a composed Hussein says: "I am the boy who died, and then came back to life. This was my destiny." Still suffering horribly from his injuries, (his leg was blown off at the kneecap and has grown back as a twisted stick) Hussein will require medical treatment for the rest of his life, "when I try to play football, it hurts me. I stay awake all night with the pain".
His truly incredible story sits alongside that of Hasan Shalhoub, just 4 years old. In the massacre of 2006, Hasan lost his sister Zeinab who was 7. Also believed dead, Hasan was left over-night in a makeshift morgue. "In the morning I woke up. I started talking to a little girl next to me, but she turned out to be dead. Then I asked for my mother." Too young to fully realise the extent of his dramatic escape Hasan says "I was only injured a little bit in my head. I am fine now."
PART THREE: Afghanistan
Afghanistan is said to be the land where God only comes to weep. A place of wild beauty and extreme cruelty, it seems never to have known peace.
After the civil war of the eighties, two-thirds of the population were either dead or refugees. And after the curse of the Taliban, a new hopelessness descended on the country, and though Afghan children don't know why any of these wars happened, they know they have been born into a devastated land. Misery, poverty, cold and never-ending internal conflict; this is their lot.
The film looks at the many ways children are compelled to work in order to help their families to survive, and at the terrible conditions they are forced to endure.
Few play activities for children exist, and with no sewage or drainage system in Kabul (pop.3.5m), many of their play areas double as open-air toilets.
Signs of war damage abound, and the hospitals bear witness to the daily admission of children maimed by the unexploded ordnance which has littered the fields and valleys of Afghanistan for decades.
The orphanage outside Kabul provides food and shelter for the parentless kids, and though there's no future to look forward to, at least it's warm.
PART FOUR: Democratic Republic of Congo
The film goes inside the minds of the Congolese child soldiers. What makes an 11 year old child capable of awful brutality? "I saw my father die, then they killed my aunt. I didn't want to die by machete at home. That's a pointless death. So I decided to join the milita" says 13 year old Eric.
Responsible for the killings of thousands of innocent lives, the feared child militas of The DRC tell how their childhood was lost. Victims of a war no one understands, brutalized by their commanders who turned them into armed brigands, the children became murderers and rapists in a "kill or be killed" conflict.
For some there is hope. 14 year old Jolie describes how she preferred a machete to a gun in battle. "A gun can run out of bullets. A machete is safer if you want to stay alive". She calmly recalls how she first killed a man. "I hacked off his head and hands". But now she has changed her view. Holding her new baby in her arms she says: "this child will never join a milita. His father was killed in battle. And I saw too much suffering myself. What was it for? Nothing."
For others, like Eric, there is no way back to the normal world. Unable to tell his parents the truth about those he killed, and unwelcome in his village he says, "At home I am nothing, but in the milita I had power and money. I want to go back to the bush."
________________________________________________________________
To contact us about this programme, click on 'Send your feedback' at the top of the page
Around the world, millions of children are the unheard voices of war. And the horrors they witness today will inform the adults they become tomorrow. Will they grow up to be the next leaders, teachers, freedom fighters or terrorists?
Nadene Ghouri
Children of Conflict is a four-part series which explores the lives of children whose lives are blighted by growing up in conflict zones. Nadene Ghouri goes in search of what the past has created and what the future holds for these young people.
She travels to Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Lebanon but begins her journey in Gaza, where she meets children growing up in an environment of frequent violence and constant economic depression.
PART ONE: Gaza
14 year old Fatima
One of the Worlds biggest news stories, for one of the smallest and most claustrophobic strips of land on earth. Gaza is a virtual prison with no way in and hardly any way out.
In an exclusive story, we talk to the grandchildren of Fatima Al Najar – the oldest female Palestinian suicide bomber. Bewildered and grieving for their grandmother, the children say all they want to do is to follow suit and become ‘martyrs’ themselves.
13 year old Rana
"I want to do the same. And I will recruit the other children of this town for martyrdom", says 14 year old Fatima. When she grows up she wants to study chemistry and engineering at university. "That's if I don’t become a martyr first".
Her views are contrasted with another girl, 13 year old Rana – who dreams of being a journalist "so I can tell people how we suffer here. I am a child, I know what death means, I know what war means, I know what blood means. Me and all the children here know what it means."
10 year old Tehal
Or Tehal, just ten years old – and who wants to be the first female Palestinian president.
Her three wishes? To clean up the mess left behind by Israeli bulldozers, to give children their rights "because they have no rights here" and finally, "to build a new Gaza".
PART TWO: Lebanon
The town of Qana has become synomous with Lebanon's tragedy. Believed to be the site where Jesus performed his first miracle of turning water into wine, the town has earned a place in the history of infamy for two massacres of children ten years apart. The first, in 1996, when Israel bombed a UN base sheltering 800 people – most of them children. Over 100 children were killed or maimed.
The second massacre was during last year's war with Lebanon. A rocket hit a house where several families had taken shelter in the basement. It collapsed – burying the children in rubble. 17 were killed. The images of children being carried from the rubble, looking as though they were sleeping, horrified the World.
The film goes back to find the survivors of the first massacre - now teenagers – to find that although most of them have rebuilt their lives, this summers slaughter devastated them emotionally. And there are extraordinary parallels between the two stories.
In 1996, 3 year old Hussein Belhas was believed dead, and was put in a morgue freezer. Remarkably he was discovered to still be alive, and was rescued. Now 13, a composed Hussein says: "I am the boy who died, and then came back to life. This was my destiny." Still suffering horribly from his injuries, (his leg was blown off at the kneecap and has grown back as a twisted stick) Hussein will require medical treatment for the rest of his life, "when I try to play football, it hurts me. I stay awake all night with the pain".
His truly incredible story sits alongside that of Hasan Shalhoub, just 4 years old. In the massacre of 2006, Hasan lost his sister Zeinab who was 7. Also believed dead, Hasan was left over-night in a makeshift morgue. "In the morning I woke up. I started talking to a little girl next to me, but she turned out to be dead. Then I asked for my mother." Too young to fully realise the extent of his dramatic escape Hasan says "I was only injured a little bit in my head. I am fine now."
PART THREE: Afghanistan
Afghanistan is said to be the land where God only comes to weep. A place of wild beauty and extreme cruelty, it seems never to have known peace.
After the civil war of the eighties, two-thirds of the population were either dead or refugees. And after the curse of the Taliban, a new hopelessness descended on the country, and though Afghan children don't know why any of these wars happened, they know they have been born into a devastated land. Misery, poverty, cold and never-ending internal conflict; this is their lot.
The film looks at the many ways children are compelled to work in order to help their families to survive, and at the terrible conditions they are forced to endure.
Few play activities for children exist, and with no sewage or drainage system in Kabul (pop.3.5m), many of their play areas double as open-air toilets.
Signs of war damage abound, and the hospitals bear witness to the daily admission of children maimed by the unexploded ordnance which has littered the fields and valleys of Afghanistan for decades.
The orphanage outside Kabul provides food and shelter for the parentless kids, and though there's no future to look forward to, at least it's warm.
PART FOUR: Democratic Republic of Congo
The film goes inside the minds of the Congolese child soldiers. What makes an 11 year old child capable of awful brutality? "I saw my father die, then they killed my aunt. I didn't want to die by machete at home. That's a pointless death. So I decided to join the milita" says 13 year old Eric.
Responsible for the killings of thousands of innocent lives, the feared child militas of The DRC tell how their childhood was lost. Victims of a war no one understands, brutalized by their commanders who turned them into armed brigands, the children became murderers and rapists in a "kill or be killed" conflict.
For some there is hope. 14 year old Jolie describes how she preferred a machete to a gun in battle. "A gun can run out of bullets. A machete is safer if you want to stay alive". She calmly recalls how she first killed a man. "I hacked off his head and hands". But now she has changed her view. Holding her new baby in her arms she says: "this child will never join a milita. His father was killed in battle. And I saw too much suffering myself. What was it for? Nothing."
For others, like Eric, there is no way back to the normal world. Unable to tell his parents the truth about those he killed, and unwelcome in his village he says, "At home I am nothing, but in the milita I had power and money. I want to go back to the bush."
________________________________________________________________
To contact us about this programme, click on 'Send your feedback' at the top of the page
US, UK 'worst places for children'
NEWS EUROPE
US, UK 'worst places for children'
The report found no link between gross domestic product and children's well-being [GALLO/GETTY]
Britain and the United States are the worst places in the industrialised world for children to live, according to a report by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef).
They ranked among the bottom third in the study which looked at overall well-being, health and safety, education, relationships, risk and their own sense of well-being.
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The study said that child poverty - defined as the percentage of children living in homes with incomes below 50 per cent of the national median - remains above the 15 per cent mark in Britain, the US and Ireland, as well as Spain, Portugal and Italy.
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"The evidence from many countries persistently shows that children who grow up in poverty are more vulnerable," the report said, especially in terms of academic underachievement, chances of unemployment and low self-esteem. Child well-being was rated highest in northern Europe, with the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark leading the list. "All countries have weaknesses that need to be addressed and no country features in the top third of the rankings for all six dimensions," David Bull, the UK executive director of Unicef, said. Risk behavioursBritain lived up to its reputation for "binge-drinking," hazardous sexual activity and drug use, with the report putting the country at the bottom of the rankings for risk behaviours "by a considerable distance".Almost a third of British youngsters aged 11, 13 and 15 reported being drunk on two or more occasions, against just an average of under 15 per cent in the majority of countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development.Britain had made progress in the field of child safety, having cut the incidence of deaths from accidents and injuries to the "remarkably low level" of fewer than 10 per 10,000.
Sweden, the Netherlands and Italy also achieved the same rate of progress. RelationshipsBritain and the US were also found to have the worst rankings in terms of children's relationships with their families and peers.Unicef noted the sensitivity of this field, but said "at the statistical level, there is evidence to associate growing up in single-parent families and stepfamilies with greater risk to well-being," including dropping out of school, leaving home early, poorer health and low pay. The US, Britain and Sweden had the highest proportion of children living in single-parent families, while Italy, Greece and Spain had the lowest. The study, which looked at 40 indicators to gauge quality of life in economically advanced nations, is the first of its kind. The report said no direct link had been found between gross domestic product and children's well-being.
It highlighted how the Czech Republic had a higher ranking than many richer countries, including France, Austria, the United States and Britain.
Source: Agencies
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US, UK 'worst places for children'
The report found no link between gross domestic product and children's well-being [GALLO/GETTY]
Britain and the United States are the worst places in the industrialised world for children to live, according to a report by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef).
They ranked among the bottom third in the study which looked at overall well-being, health and safety, education, relationships, risk and their own sense of well-being.
bodyVariable350="Htmlphcontrol1_lblError";
The study said that child poverty - defined as the percentage of children living in homes with incomes below 50 per cent of the national median - remains above the 15 per cent mark in Britain, the US and Ireland, as well as Spain, Portugal and Italy.
bodyVariable300="Htmlphcontrol2_lblError";
"The evidence from many countries persistently shows that children who grow up in poverty are more vulnerable," the report said, especially in terms of academic underachievement, chances of unemployment and low self-esteem. Child well-being was rated highest in northern Europe, with the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark leading the list. "All countries have weaknesses that need to be addressed and no country features in the top third of the rankings for all six dimensions," David Bull, the UK executive director of Unicef, said. Risk behavioursBritain lived up to its reputation for "binge-drinking," hazardous sexual activity and drug use, with the report putting the country at the bottom of the rankings for risk behaviours "by a considerable distance".Almost a third of British youngsters aged 11, 13 and 15 reported being drunk on two or more occasions, against just an average of under 15 per cent in the majority of countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development.Britain had made progress in the field of child safety, having cut the incidence of deaths from accidents and injuries to the "remarkably low level" of fewer than 10 per 10,000.
Sweden, the Netherlands and Italy also achieved the same rate of progress. RelationshipsBritain and the US were also found to have the worst rankings in terms of children's relationships with their families and peers.Unicef noted the sensitivity of this field, but said "at the statistical level, there is evidence to associate growing up in single-parent families and stepfamilies with greater risk to well-being," including dropping out of school, leaving home early, poorer health and low pay. The US, Britain and Sweden had the highest proportion of children living in single-parent families, while Italy, Greece and Spain had the lowest. The study, which looked at 40 indicators to gauge quality of life in economically advanced nations, is the first of its kind. The report said no direct link had been found between gross domestic product and children's well-being.
It highlighted how the Czech Republic had a higher ranking than many richer countries, including France, Austria, the United States and Britain.
Source: Agencies
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Tuesday, February 13, 2007
FREEDOM HERO
FREEDOM HERO
IQBAL MASIH by Kelly Frost from North Carolina
http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=Iqbal
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IqbalIqbal Masih was born in Pakistan in 1982. He lived in Muridke, near Lahore. Iqbal was sold into slavery at a carpet factory at age four, and worked on looms until the age of 10. Iqbal ran away from the looms when he was 10, and was eventually freed by Ehsan Ulla Khan, of the Bonded Labor Liberation Front, (BLLF). He started attending the BLLF's school.
Iqbal refused to go back to the carpet mill where he had worked because he knew his rights as a citizen. Although a child labor law existed in Pakistan, it was not enforced. Soon, speaking out against the mills, he gained international interest. Iqbal eventually started making speeches around the world, talking about child labor and his life experiences.
Iqbal won many awards. He was honored by the International Labor Organization in Sweden, received Reebok's 1994 Human Rights Youth Action Award, and while in the United States accepting the award, was nominated for ABC's "Person of the Week".
Soon after Iqbal returned to Pakistan, he was murdered, on April 16, 1995. He was 12 years old. No one really knows who did it, but there are assumptions that the "Carpet Mafia", was responsible, because many carpet industries were losing a lot of business due to Iqbal's speeches.
Iqbal is one of my heroes because it takes a lot of courage to stand up to such powerful people, and to speak out against evil.
Written by Kelly Frost from North Carolina
RELATED LINKSView a SHORT FILM about Iqbal The film 'Courage' shows how Iqbal decided to fight to end the plight of his fellow children. Iqbal's courage inspired others around the world.Children's World.org This site has information on Iqbal MasihBiography of Books on Poverty Features books for children and adults about this topic.Children's World Congress on Child Labor A global meeting of children to discuss child labor.Free the Children An organization dedicated to empowering children to become leaders who make a positive difference in their world.
RECOMMENDED READING
Iqbal Masih and the Crusaders Against Child Slaveryby Susan Kuklin
More Featured Child Heroes
Alexandra Scott raised money for cancer research through her nationwide lemonade stands.
Alicia O'Brien was the inspiration for Cherie Bennett's novel, Zink.
Anne Frank : 'When I write, I can shake off all my cares.'
Anthony D. Leanna startedthe 'Heavenly Hats Foundation' at the age of 10.
Bethany Hamilton survived a shark attack and inspired the world
Brandon Keefe provides books to underfunded libraries in his hometown.
Catherine Malonza saved her brother's life.
Connie O'Connell was a courageous hero and inspiration to her family.
Craig Kielburger believes kids can change the world.
Deland Chan started an environmental group at the YMCA in New York City.
Elizabeth Cline is a hero to her sister, Hallie.
Film Festival 2005 Ellie Wen created a website to help people learn to speak English.
Film Festival 2005Make a Wish Tori Degen is a cancer survivor who helps others with MAKE A WISH Foundation
Gerson Andres Florez Perez was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize at age 16.
Gina Gallant is an inventor whose passion is protecting the environment.
Global Kids Leaders volunteerto help their schools and communities.
Hannah Taylor started the Ladybug Foundation to help the homeless in her community.
Ibrahim Alex Bangura makes music that sends amessage of peace and tolerance.
iEARN connects the globe through technology.
Iqbal Masih was a brave advocate for child labor laws.
Jason Crowe received the UN's Global Peace & Tolerance Award.
Jason XV: ArgonautMaria Victoria Ferrara participated in 'Rainforests at the Crossroads' in Panama.
Jason XV: Panamanian Argonaut:Andrea Kam participated in the 'Rainforests at the Crossroads' expedition.
John Tacket is remembered asa courageous, fun-loving boy.
Joneice proved how strong a kid can be to her sister, Kia.
Mattie Stepanek is a hero to people of all ages around the world.
Melinda Rose Hathaway usedthe Internet to encourage other children with cancer, too.
Mory Sanberg makes bag lunches for the homeless people in her city.
Nickole Evans isusing technology for peace.
Nkosi Johnson spoke out on behalf of children with AIDS.
Peace Children voted overwhelmingly for peace and change.
Postpessimists is working for change in the Balkans.
Ruby Bridges bravely led the way to desegregation of schools as a child.
Rudy wanted to run before he could walk.
Ryan Hreljac helps build wells for clean waterin Africa.
Ryan Wayne White contracted AIDS as a child and devoted his life to educating the public.
Sadako Sasaki inspired an international peace movement.
Samantha Marie Rowlands learned to read when others said she couldn't.
SLATER is a student reporter who exudes peace and goodness everywhere she goes.
Wang Yani has been painting since she was threeyears old.
XIV Argonauts broadcasted their explorations of the Channel Islands.
More Featured Freedom Heroes
Abraham Lincoln was a U.S president who fought for the abolition of slavery.
Angela Davis is a leader, author, and professor who has fought for decades for human rights.
Art Miki founded the National Association for Japanese Canadians to help redress Japanese rights lost during WWII.
Aung San Suu Kyi has dedicated her life to freeing Burma from a repressive dictatorship and creating democracy without violence.
Bill Bradley once a pro-basketball player now is a politician who advocates reform to make America better for all.
Cesar Chavez was a tireless advocate for migrant farm workers.
Chief Joseph led the Nez Perce tribe in an effort to keep its homeland.
Clara Shortridge Foltz was the first woman to practice law in California.
Constance Motley became the first African-American woman judge on the largest federal trial bench in the US.
Craig Kielburger believes kids can change the world.
Crazy Horse bravely fought for the freedom of the Sioux Nation.
Declaration of Human Rights established the basis for human rights beliefs and practices all over the world.
Desmond Tutu worked to end apartheid in South Africa.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "I Have a Dream" was the civil rights speech that moved the world
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Congressman John Lewis talks about how Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired him as a young man during the Civil Rights Movement
Eleanor Roosevelt was a champion for freedom.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a pioneer in the movement for womens rights.
Emmeline Pankhurst fought tirelessly for women's suffrage, and succeeded.
Frances Ellen Watkins was a prolific author and poet who devoted her life to speaking out against slavery.
Fred Korematsu bravely protested the Japanese-American internment.
George Washington was the first President of the United States.
Harriet Tubman organized the Underground Railroad.
Inez Milholland Boissevain : a brief but spectacular life dedicated to women's suffrage.
Inge Sargent is a Burmese princess devoted to human rights for all.
Iqbal Masih was a brave advocate for child labor laws.
James Reeb risked his own life as a brave civil rights crusader.
Jane Akre & Steve Wilson won the 2001 Goldman Environmental Prize for their courageous journalism.
Janet Jagan was the first female president of Guyana.
Jessie Daniel Ames worked openly and actively on behalf of racial justice.
John Adams worked as hard for peace for the United States as he did for its independence.
John Lewis has worked for civil rights for all for over 40 years.
Jose Marti is considered the father of Cuba's battle for independance.
Joseph Ki-Zerbo works to help Africans retain control of their country's agriculture.
Judy Feld Carr secretly helped thousands of Jews escape from Syria.
Kofi Annan is an honored freedom hero and an AIDS activist.
Lyndon B. Johnson was John's great grandfather and the 36th President of the United States.
Malcolm Little known as Malcom X, was a warrior in the fight against racism.
Marian Wright Edelman is one of the country's leading advocates for children.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Peaceful freedom fighter and civil rights activist
Mary Harris Jones worked to free children fromindustrial slavery.
Medgar Wiley Evers worked to end racism in America
Mohammad Hatta was a central figure in Indonesia's fight for independence.
Mohandas K. Gandhi used non-violence to free India from British rule.
Morris Seligman Dees is the co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Moses led the Jews from slavery and gave them religious laws.
My Father, Rupfure Thomas & Nelson Mandela and Rupfure Thomas are heroes to lifesaver Paul Rusesabagina.
Nellie McClung believed in equal rights for all women
Nelson Mandela is a peacemaker and a freedom hero.
Nelson Mandela is Muhammad Ali's hero because he understands what it means to fight against enormous odds
Osceola led the Seminoles in their battle for independence.
Paul Revere risked his life for the freedom of the American colonies.
Quaid-E-Azam helped to create the nation of Pakistan.
RAWA promote women's rights through non-violent action
Rev. James Reeb worked for equal rights for all
Robert F. Kennedy was a voice for the powerless and advocate for human rights.
Roger Nash Baldwin A pioneer in the struggle for civil justice.
Rosa Parks made history when she refused to sit in the back of the bus.
Ruby Bridges bravely led the way to desegregation of schools as a child.
Sir William Wallace was a freedom-fighter for the Scottish people in the early 1300s.
Sojourner Truth born into slavery, worked for the freedom of all.
Susan B. Anthony led the early Women's Suffrage Movement.
The Dalai Lama is the religious leader of Tibet and an emblem of Tibet's hopes for freedom.
Thomas Jefferson helped the American Colonies achieve independence from Britain.
Thurgood Marshall was the first African-Americanto serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Tiananmen Square discuss freedom and democracy at Tian An Min Square.
Vaclav Havel despite censorship, wrote plays that helped keep the hope of freedom alive....
W.E.B. Dubois was a leading 19th century writer and scholar.
Last changed on:1/30/2007 11
IQBAL MASIH by Kelly Frost from North Carolina
http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=Iqbal
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IqbalIqbal Masih was born in Pakistan in 1982. He lived in Muridke, near Lahore. Iqbal was sold into slavery at a carpet factory at age four, and worked on looms until the age of 10. Iqbal ran away from the looms when he was 10, and was eventually freed by Ehsan Ulla Khan, of the Bonded Labor Liberation Front, (BLLF). He started attending the BLLF's school.
Iqbal refused to go back to the carpet mill where he had worked because he knew his rights as a citizen. Although a child labor law existed in Pakistan, it was not enforced. Soon, speaking out against the mills, he gained international interest. Iqbal eventually started making speeches around the world, talking about child labor and his life experiences.
Iqbal won many awards. He was honored by the International Labor Organization in Sweden, received Reebok's 1994 Human Rights Youth Action Award, and while in the United States accepting the award, was nominated for ABC's "Person of the Week".
Soon after Iqbal returned to Pakistan, he was murdered, on April 16, 1995. He was 12 years old. No one really knows who did it, but there are assumptions that the "Carpet Mafia", was responsible, because many carpet industries were losing a lot of business due to Iqbal's speeches.
Iqbal is one of my heroes because it takes a lot of courage to stand up to such powerful people, and to speak out against evil.
Written by Kelly Frost from North Carolina
RELATED LINKSView a SHORT FILM about Iqbal The film 'Courage' shows how Iqbal decided to fight to end the plight of his fellow children. Iqbal's courage inspired others around the world.Children's World.org This site has information on Iqbal MasihBiography of Books on Poverty Features books for children and adults about this topic.Children's World Congress on Child Labor A global meeting of children to discuss child labor.Free the Children An organization dedicated to empowering children to become leaders who make a positive difference in their world.
RECOMMENDED READING
Iqbal Masih and the Crusaders Against Child Slaveryby Susan Kuklin
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Abraham Lincoln was a U.S president who fought for the abolition of slavery.
Angela Davis is a leader, author, and professor who has fought for decades for human rights.
Art Miki founded the National Association for Japanese Canadians to help redress Japanese rights lost during WWII.
Aung San Suu Kyi has dedicated her life to freeing Burma from a repressive dictatorship and creating democracy without violence.
Bill Bradley once a pro-basketball player now is a politician who advocates reform to make America better for all.
Cesar Chavez was a tireless advocate for migrant farm workers.
Chief Joseph led the Nez Perce tribe in an effort to keep its homeland.
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Constance Motley became the first African-American woman judge on the largest federal trial bench in the US.
Craig Kielburger believes kids can change the world.
Crazy Horse bravely fought for the freedom of the Sioux Nation.
Declaration of Human Rights established the basis for human rights beliefs and practices all over the world.
Desmond Tutu worked to end apartheid in South Africa.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "I Have a Dream" was the civil rights speech that moved the world
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Congressman John Lewis talks about how Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired him as a young man during the Civil Rights Movement
Eleanor Roosevelt was a champion for freedom.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a pioneer in the movement for womens rights.
Emmeline Pankhurst fought tirelessly for women's suffrage, and succeeded.
Frances Ellen Watkins was a prolific author and poet who devoted her life to speaking out against slavery.
Fred Korematsu bravely protested the Japanese-American internment.
George Washington was the first President of the United States.
Harriet Tubman organized the Underground Railroad.
Inez Milholland Boissevain : a brief but spectacular life dedicated to women's suffrage.
Inge Sargent is a Burmese princess devoted to human rights for all.
Iqbal Masih was a brave advocate for child labor laws.
James Reeb risked his own life as a brave civil rights crusader.
Jane Akre & Steve Wilson won the 2001 Goldman Environmental Prize for their courageous journalism.
Janet Jagan was the first female president of Guyana.
Jessie Daniel Ames worked openly and actively on behalf of racial justice.
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Jose Marti is considered the father of Cuba's battle for independance.
Joseph Ki-Zerbo works to help Africans retain control of their country's agriculture.
Judy Feld Carr secretly helped thousands of Jews escape from Syria.
Kofi Annan is an honored freedom hero and an AIDS activist.
Lyndon B. Johnson was John's great grandfather and the 36th President of the United States.
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Mary Harris Jones worked to free children fromindustrial slavery.
Medgar Wiley Evers worked to end racism in America
Mohammad Hatta was a central figure in Indonesia's fight for independence.
Mohandas K. Gandhi used non-violence to free India from British rule.
Morris Seligman Dees is the co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
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My Father, Rupfure Thomas & Nelson Mandela and Rupfure Thomas are heroes to lifesaver Paul Rusesabagina.
Nellie McClung believed in equal rights for all women
Nelson Mandela is a peacemaker and a freedom hero.
Nelson Mandela is Muhammad Ali's hero because he understands what it means to fight against enormous odds
Osceola led the Seminoles in their battle for independence.
Paul Revere risked his life for the freedom of the American colonies.
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RAWA promote women's rights through non-violent action
Rev. James Reeb worked for equal rights for all
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Rosa Parks made history when she refused to sit in the back of the bus.
Ruby Bridges bravely led the way to desegregation of schools as a child.
Sir William Wallace was a freedom-fighter for the Scottish people in the early 1300s.
Sojourner Truth born into slavery, worked for the freedom of all.
Susan B. Anthony led the early Women's Suffrage Movement.
The Dalai Lama is the religious leader of Tibet and an emblem of Tibet's hopes for freedom.
Thomas Jefferson helped the American Colonies achieve independence from Britain.
Thurgood Marshall was the first African-Americanto serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Vaclav Havel despite censorship, wrote plays that helped keep the hope of freedom alive....
W.E.B. Dubois was a leading 19th century writer and scholar.
Last changed on:1/30/2007 11
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