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New town, new start – thanks to you

Child labour is something that is commonplace in Pakistan, twelve-hour working day, no footwear, a lack of safety equipment, poor pay and sexual violence are not suitable for any child.

A new town, Mariam Town is being built by the Church for Christians desperate to get away from a life of bonded labour. When completed the town sill have up to 250 houses and with the commitment from ACN to build a church in the town.

Help persecuted Christian children

Iqbal Masih was just four years old when he was put in chains and forced to work for up to 14 hours a day in a Pakistan carpet factory.

Working in truly awful conditions and being fed very little at aged 12 he was the height and weight of a six-year-old. Iqbal managed to escape but heartbreakingly was soon killed after deciding to stand up and raise his voice against modern slavery in Pakistan.

Since Iqbal’s death the problem has worsened: today more than 1 million people in Pakistan work in bonded labour in 20,000 brick kilns. Although Christians are barely 2 percent of the population in some areas, they make up 80 percent of brick kiln workers. Christians are disproportionality forced into these roles with little to no prospects for a better life for themselves or their families.