Iqbal Masih spent his childhood shackled to a loom in a dingy carpet factory in
Pakistan. At the age of four, when his parents hired him out to repay a $16
loan, he worked twelve- to sixteen-hour days, seven days a week, for less than a
dollar a month. He never learned to read or write and was thin and
undernourished.
Craig Kielburger spent his childhood in the comfortable suburbs of Toronto
raised by two loving parents who were both teachers. During the day he attended
school. In his free time, he spent his boundless energy inline skating,
swimming, and skiing.
Two boys from two entirely different worlds-until the year they both turned
twelve. The impoverished child of the East and the privileged child of the West
were symbolically united in a universal effort to liberate enslaved children.
Iqbal was rescued from his factory prison when he was ten. For the next two
years, he was treated as an international hero, a living symbol in a brave
crusade against bonded servitude in Pakistan's carpet industry. Then, at the age
of twelve, lqbal was murdered, his voice forever silenced.
Halfway across the world, Craig Kielburger read the story about Iqbal's life and
death in his local newspaper. At that moment, Craig's carefree days of childhood
ended. Fueled by compassion and a sense of justice, Craig vowed to do everything
he could to help end the exploitation of child workers. He had the intelligence
and foresight to know he couldn't do it alone, that he would have to rally
others to his cause. People told him he was too young. They said no one would
listen to him. But Craig Kielburger, at the age of twelve, was an effective
activist. He knew how to unite others to work toward the same goal.
He read everything he could find about the 200 million children in the world who
work in conditions of slavery. But reading wasn't enough. Craig wanted to see
for himself the children and the conditions they worked in. At first, his
parents refused. After all, Craig wasn't even old enough to take the subway
downtown alone. But Craig was determined. He sold some of his toys to raise
money for the trip. His parents were so moved by Craig's determination that they
granted their permission for his seven-week trip to Asia and, with help from
other relatives, matched the money he raised.
Armed with a video camera and chaperoned at each stop by local human-rights
activists, Craig traveled from Bangladesh to Thailand and on to India, Nepal,
and Pakistan. He made his way from windowless sweatshops to airless factories.
He met a little girl bagging candy eleven hours a day in a stuffy, overheated
room and a little barefoot boy stitching soccer balls. He talked to each one,
child to child, and the children opened up like they never had before. At the
end of his journey, Craig made a pilgrimage to the place where Iqbal's own
journey had ended, an unmarked grave in a small cemetery.
While Craig was touring Asia, the prime minister of Canada was also there. Craig
requested a meeting with the prime minister, but he refused. After all, Craig
was just a child, too young to vote. The media however, was very interested in
hearing Craig and two former child laborers tell their stories. The subsequent
coverage outraged the public; overnight, the issue of child labor received
national attention in Canada. Suddenly, the prime minister wanted to see Craig
too.
Craig knew now what he had to do, but he could not accomplish his goal alone. He
needed a team. What better partners, he thought, than his classmates who, like
himself, were "too young to know any better." Back home, Craig took his shocking
photos and horrifying stories into classrooms. Craig said, "Here's the problem.
Do you want to help?" His fellow students were more than eager to help. Together
they established a group called Free the Children, which met weekly to share
information and discuss strategies. Craig then contacted other organizations for
further information, support, and contacts. His team was growing.
After hearing Craig speak at the Ontario Federation of Labor's annual
convention, 2,000 union leaders joined the effort, donating $150,000 to Free the
Children. The mayor of Toronto banned fireworks made in child-labor shops. The
minister of foreign affairs offered Craig an advisory position in the Canadian
government, and the United States Congress invited him to speak. The Canadian
government has now become one of the leading nations working toward the
elimination of intolerable forms of child labor and the exploitation of
children.
"Children have one special quality that gives them a far greater power than
adults," Craig said. "They have imagination. They still think they can fly. They
even think they can talk to prime ministers as equals."
In two short years, Free the Children became a team of thousands, expanding into
an international movement with chapters across Europe and Asia. Free the
Children has changed minds. It has changed laws, and it has begun to change the
lives of 200 million children.
Kid stuff? You decide.
"It's easier to be ignorant and say I don't know about the problem. But once you
know, once you've seen it in their eyes, then you have a responsibility to do
something. There is strength in numbers, and if we all work together as a team,
we can be unstoppable." -Craig Kielburger
Excerpted from Unstoppable, p, 186-189 (Sourcebooks, $14.95) Copyright 1998 by
Cynthia Kersey www.unstoppable.net
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Cynthia Kersey is a nationally-known speaker, columnist and author of the
bestseller, "Unstoppable" and upcoming sequel "Unstoppable Women". Cynthia
captivates audiences by delivering presentations on how to be unstoppable in
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