[World Day against Child Slavery 16th April]
In our homes, our streets, department stores, our consumption
every day we see products made by child slaves.
Millions of children today live amidst the smoke of landfills
and work in mines to produce our cosmetic products
our mobile phones and our children’s toys.
Children who live in quarries to make the cobblestones we walk on
children kidnapped to become child soldiers
children who have had their childhood and education stolen
children who are suppressed enslaved and humiliated.
At the start of the new century, we face one of the most deplorable situations of our time.
NGOs estimate there are 400 million child slaves worldwide, aged between 4 and 14
of whom, 165 million are under 5.
There are more slaves today than ever before.
The reasons for this crime are clearly economic.
We are looking at a radically unfair international economic system
organized to suit the big multinational companies
and a worldwide financial system seeking maximum profit
even if they use children as slave labour.
The Christian Pakistani child Iqbal Masih was murdered on 16th April 1995
Pakistani textile mafias killed the 12 year-old for speaking out against them internationally.
“Don’t buy carpets made by child slaves”, he said in Boston
receiving an award for his fight to close companies using child slaves.
A slave since he was 4 years old, he gave his life to reveal this crime.
Since that year the Christian Cultural Movement and Camino Juvenil Solidario
have taken to the streets in Spain and part of Ibero-America on this day.
Several Spanish towns have squares and monuments named after Iqbal Masih.
In his memory, 16th April is widely celebrated as World Day against Child Slavery. [Script and direction: Mayte Linares Narrator: Miguel Minaya]