Shama and her family were enslaved in brick kiln factory.
Because Shama contracted polio in her childhood, she is disabled and cannot walk and work properly.
She was suffering great pain from working at the brick kiln, but unless she and her family met a daily quota of 1,000 bricks, they would not get paid.
Most of the money they made went towards repaying their debt, and the little remaining was barely enough to purchase bread with water once a day.
Shama told RAM her story during a mobile medical clinic at a brick kiln factory. Thanks to WCF, the loan was repaid, but the owner of the brick kiln factory was still forcing them to work for at least 6 months.
RAM provided legal assistance to free the family, and they are now living peacefully in the city. Shama’s husband, Liaqat, got a job in a factory, and RAM is also helping Shama to get sewing work, as she is an expert seamstress.
Shama and her family are very thankful to RAM and WCF for helping them to get out of slavery.
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When I first became a mom in 2016, I used to have a recurring nightmare that my 3rd floor walkup apartment in New York City was on fire, and I had just minutes to not only get my babies to safety, but to also gather whatever we would need to survive out of the home....
Pakistan Should Heed the Call of Oppressed Muslims Instead of Oppressing Its Minorities
As the second-largest Muslim nation, Pakistan is 96 percent Muslim, with the remaining population comprised of Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadis. However, convictions of this small percentage of religious minorities under Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws frequently make...
Pakistan’s COVID-19 Response Fails Its Minorities
Living in a 99 percent Muslim country, Pakistan’s minorities—Untouchable Christians, Hindus, Ahmadiyya, and enslaved brick kiln workers—face systemic discrimination on any given day as they seek jobs, education, and healthcare. Now, these minorities will be the...
