Child labor is all around the world! It is a big problem in countries like Mali, Bhutan, and Burundi. Those countries have the top 3 child labor problems in the world, as of 2014. And there is no stopping it if we don't try. But thankfully, people like Iqbal Masih and Craig Kielburger are fighting for children's rights. In 1995, Toronto, Canada Craig read an article about a boy named Iqbal.
He was a boy born in Pakistan and forced into making carpets for little money. Over 500,000 children in Pakistan are employed under the age of 14 years old. The article Craig read explained how he was shot in the back, and died, right in front of his house in Pakistan. He wasn't murdered for no reason, he was murdered because he was stepping up to help. "I would like to do what Abraham Lincoln did... I would like to do it in Pakistan" - Iqbal Masih. So that day, Craig decided he wanted to help. He was inspired by Iqbal when he visited Broad Meadows Middle School, to talk about child labor. So Craig, just like Iqbal, and a handful of classmates from his school, made an organization called Free the Children. There are organizations in Canada, the U.S.A. Australia, and Brazil. Craig and his classmates have really made a difference. Free the Children has helped disadvantaged children get an education, has provided food, and has provided clean water for them in countries like Haiti, Kenya, Tanzania, India and more. Child labor is a big problem, people are suffering all over the world. We need to make a change. We need to help the children who are suffering. They are forced into labor, in places like India or Pakistan, because their family needs help and they are poor. What can you do to help? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2VFOzH1Qr0 |