Iqbal Masih was a child labor activist from Pakistan. He was born in 1983 in a poor family in Muridke, near Lahore. At the age of four, he was sold by his parents to a carpet weaver in Lahore to pay off a debt of 600 rupees (about $6). Iqbal worked as a carpet weaver for six years, working from early morning until late at night, seven days a week. He was beaten and tortured by his employer whenever he made a mistake. Despite his young age, Iqbal was determined to fight for his rights and those of other child laborers. At the age of ten, Iqbal managed to escape from the carpet factory and joined a local school for working children run by a Pakistani NGO, the Bonded Labour Liberation Front (BLLF). He became an active member of the BLLF and began campaigning against child labor. In 1994, Iqbal was invited to speak at the International Labor Organization (ILO) conference in Sweden, where he spoke about his experiences as a child laborer and called for an end to the practice. His speech received international attention and Iqbal became a symbol of the struggle against child labor. Sadly, Iqbal's activism was short-lived. He was shot dead in his hometown of Muridke in April 1995, at the age of 12. His murder remains unsolved, but it is widely believed to have been carried out by carpet factory owners in retaliation for his activism. Iqbal's story is a powerful reminder of the exploitation and abuse that many children face around the world, and of the importance of fighting for their rights and protection.