1 When Iqbal Masih was 4 years old, his parents sold him into slavery for less than

$16. For the next six years, he remained chained to a carpet-weaving loom most of the time, tying tiny knots hour after hour. 2 At the age of ten, he escaped from the factory. Then he was free and travelled the world in his fight against the horrors of child labour. 3 On Sunday April 16, 1995, Iqbals life came to an end at the age of 12 when he was shot dead while he was riding his bicycle in his village of Muritke, about 20 kilometres from the eastern city of Lahore. 4 The killing came only months after Iqbal had attracted international attention. At a labour conference in Stockholm last November, he spoke about the terrible conditions faced by child workers who toil for long hours in unsafe conditions, in exchange for meagre meals. 5 He said at that conference: "We had to get up at 4 and work 12 hours. We were chained to the looms, but after work, we were usually released and could go home to sleep." 6 In December, Iqbal went to Boston to receive the Reebok Youth in Action Award from the American shoe company. At the time, he said he wanted to become a lawyer and would use the $10.000 prize to pay for his school. Brandeis University in Boston offered him a full scholarship. 7 A world of opportunity had opened up for Iqbal, who had begun to attend a school in Lahore and boasted that he had turned the tables on his old boss. But the boy received repeated death threats from people in powerful carpet-weaving industry. Iqbals campaign against child labour had led to the closure of dozens of carpet-weaving factories in his district. 8 He was so brave... you cant imagine, said Ehsan Ullah Khan, chairman of a private group that fight child labour in Pakistan. He also has managed to free thousands of children 9 Pakistan has some 6 million child workers, aged 14 or younger, according to the independent Human Rights Commission. They work mostly in carpet factories, brickmaking plants on farms and as household servants.
Sources: IQBAL MASIH - HIS SPIRIT LIVES ON! Free the Children International

.The Guardian, 21 April 1995

A) READING AND INTERPRETING Activity1 Choose the right answer This text is about a) travelling b) child labour c) education Iqbal's job consisted in a) weaving carpets b) riding bicycles c) going to conferences Activity2 Put these sentences in chronological order. a) He had to work for long hours. b) Thanks to a prize he received, he was able to attend school. c) He was able to attend school. d) At the age of four Iqbal was sold into slavery. e) He was killed. f) He started a campaign against child labour. Activity3 Say whether these sentences are true or false. a) Iqbal Masih started work at the age of ten. b) He worked in Reebok, the American shoe company. c) Ehsan Ullah Khan is against child labour. Activity4 Answer the following questions according to the text. a) Why did Iqbal Masih attend the Stockholm conference? b) Why was he killed?

Activity 5 What or who do the words in bold type in the text refer to? a) him 6 b) they 9 Activity 6 Ask the questions that the underlined words answer. a) Iqbal went to Boston to receive a prize. b) They work mostly in carpet factories. B) TEXT EXPLORATION Activity1 Find in the text words, phrases or expressions closest in meaning to a) killed 3 b) work hard 4 c) menaces 7 adjective repeated

Activity2 Complete the following chart. noun verb .. die . attract ..

Activity3 Rewrite the sencond sentence so that it means the same as the one given to you. a) Iqbal Masih said that he would use the 10.000$ to pay for school. ","Iqbal Masih said. b) Brandeis University offered him a full scholarship. He.............................................. Activity4 Fill in the gaps with four of the following words. a) protected b)laws c)workers d)children e) industry There are an estimated 20 million slave ..in Pakistan today. At least 7.5 million of them are More than 500.000 of these children ,like Iqbal work in the carpetBecause carpet factory owners are rich, they are usually.by the local police. Activity5 Classify the following according to the pronunciation of their final / ED/. a) repeated b) managed c) escaped d) offered /T/ /D/ /ID/

C)WRITTEN EXPRESSION Choose one of the following topics. Topic1: Imagine you are organizing a campaign against child labour and now you are meeting the participants in this campaign. Make a short speech in which you: - welcome and thank the participants, - explain the reasons for the campaign, - tell them what you are going to do, - close up the speech. Topic 2 Child labour is illegal. It violates childrens rights. Which rights are violated? Give some concrete examples.