Labor Day in Pakistan and Bonded Labor From Brick kiln Workers

Pakistan:(LEAD) LABOR Day is celebrated all over the world on May 1 including Pakistan to commemorate the social and economic achievements of the labor movement.The day has a historic background of struggle,efforts and achievements of the labor movement that took root in Europe and North America.

Bonded labor: Church,Human Rights and Social workers of World are urged to play their constructive role to make them free from heavy advance debts and slavery.

These are not just cases of bonded and child labor but entire families work in brick kilns,striving to pay off their debts that are so much beyond their means that they will remain unpaid even after decades of continuous work.

They are not able to think to get education for their children even they will be offered to not pay any kind of tuition fee and spend money on books and note books because these workers have to use their little and minors children in the work of brick kiln.

Their socio-economic conditions are inhuman. They have no right of education, health, recreation or security. They get a very small amount to make 1,000 katcha bricks (unbaked bricks). In the preparation of this 1,000 bricks, the entire family, i.e. husband, wife and children are involved."we make 1000 bricks per day my wife and son who is 6 years old,we spend 12 to 14 hours per day and the wage we get Rs.450 (US$ 3.5)",told Imran Masih.

 Food  they used: "we do not drink milk and even not our son,and we do not eat fruits because we have no enough money to buy milk and fruits.we hardly eat two times our bread which is very simple i.e bread made from wheat",said Asma wife of brick kiln worker Imran Masih."They have no latrines in brick kilns.They used to open fields as latrines which is not safe specially for girls and women and sometimes,they victimised of rapes",told Asma and her husband. 

Advance Debt: Families working in brick kilns are traditionally some of the 
most marginalised communities in Pakistan."We are compelled to seek debts  
from kiln owners for medical or family expenses, or simply to weather the 
monsoon season when brick making comes to a break off, we spend the rest of 
the year paying back the loan at excessive interest rates",told Imran Masih 
and her wife Asma.

"we in the gathering were afraid to raise our voice at our kiln",said Imran.“Do 
you not want to win your right,do you not want to win the rights of your 
children?”,Advocate Sardar Mushtaq Gill asked.

Through vocational training, brick kiln workers hope to escape the cycle of poverty and through adoption of children families should be escaped from Kiln slavery.There are round about 350,000 brick kiln workers working in more than 15,000 brick kilns across the province of Punjab and approximately 200,000 are Christians and round about 50,000 have left Christian faith and accepted Islam as their religion by offering to forgive their debts and for some other vested interest offered by Brick kiln.It is said this is the profession of Christians.We have observed that the lack of education is the biggest weakness the brick kiln workers have.

Physical abuse, including rape of young girls and their abduction, has been reported in many cases. Many times children witness the cruelty which has been suffered by  their parents by the owners, and they grow up in an atmosphere of fear, insecurity and subjugation, which has a profound effect on their physical growth and personality development. Skin diseases, due to contact with clay and dust and sun shine, and exposure to intensive heat, as well as respiratory infections have also been mostly noted among them.Their faces tell their poor physical condition.

Last year,Muqadas Kainat a Christian minor girl from Sahiwal, a city in Punjab, Pakistan, was  murdered after being "gang raped" by a group of five men at "Al-Ghani Bricks Company", situated at Kachi Puki Road Sahiwal.Her father was working as brick maker with his wife and seven children from last 15 years and  living in Brick Kiln vicinity house at 96/9-L, Sahiwal.The Farid Town Police Station registered FIR No.388/12 against culprits.The trial of her case is still pending in Sahiwal trial Court.

A large number Christian brick kiln workers children in Pakistan are being mangled in silence, with their stories never emerge due to pressure or their financial problems even when they are provided free legal aid.

LEAD is a Christian relief,development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with Children,families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.As followers of Jesus,we are motivated by God's grace and love to serve all people regardless of race,religion gender or ethnicity.

We ask for support for fiscal needs for the continuity of work which LEAD doing in Pakistan. We are thankful for all who are financially supporting LEAD’s work for the Persecuted Church.We pray for more who have same vision for the Persecuted Church,to be our partners in this noble cause.We ask for partners who wish to escape the brick kiln workers from slavery,bonded labor and poverty.