He became a martyr for his cause when he was murdered at age 12. It was not unusual for employers to pad the total, keeping the children in bondage for life. When and if he made mistakes, he was often fined, which also added to the loan. This was a very dangerous expedition, but the information he gathered helped close down the factory and free hundreds of children. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. A justification statement that provides a summary clearly identifying the specific attributes of the nominee relevant to the four selection criteria listed in this announcement. He was tragically killed a year later at the age of 13 in his native Pakistan. Iqbal's six years as a bonded child had affected him physically as well as mentally. ILAB/OCFT will perform a preliminary administrative review to determine the sufficiency of all submitted application packages relative to the Submission Requirements listed in Section 4 of this announcement. According to the Freedom Hero: Iqbal Masih, Iqbal was born in one of the places were child labor was most popular, Pakistan. The .gov means it’s official. Electronic applications must be e-mailed to iqbal.masih.award@dol.gov and received no later than 4:45 p.m. EDT on March 5, 2021. Iqbal Masih was shot dead on a dusty road outside of Muridke, Pakistan. Shocked, Iqbal knew he wanted to be free. He was able to escape and began campaigning against child labour and for the right for children to receive an education. Iqbal also suffered from kidney problems, a curved spine, bronchial infections, and arthritis. During and after his apprenticeship, the cost of the food he ate and the tools he used were all added to the original loan. Rosenberg, Jennifer. Once free, Iqbal was sent to a BLLF school in Lahore. In addition to these costs, the loan grew ever larger because the employer added interest. He talked to Eshan Ullah Khan, president of the BLLF, who helped him get the paperwork he needed to show his employer that he should be free. And today we ask you to honor Iqbal's memory by fighting for the children who still yearn to be free. These employers specialize in this kind of barter, where the employer loans family money in exchange for the bonded labor of a small child. Rosenberg, Jennifer. Once in a while, he also had a chance to play some computer games while in the U.S. Iqbal's growing popularity and influence caused him to receive numerous death threats. Name, title, street address, telephone number and e-mail address of the person or organization submitting the nomination. #block-googletagmanagerheader .field { padding-bottom:0 !important; } .h1 {font-family:'Merriweather';font-weight:700;} The conditions in which Iqbal worked were horrendous. All comments are strictly voluntary and strictly private. .usa-footer .container {max-width:1440px!important;} An award ‘Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labour’ in Iqbal’s name was started by the United States Congress. With Shreyas Talpade, Naseeruddin Shah, Shweta Basu Prasad, Yatin Karyekar. As of yet, there is no proof that this was the case. Iqbal studied very hard, finishing four years of work in just two.