Even the grandfather of 15-year-old Sania fell into debt bondage

“Javed and Suraya have one son and six grandchildren. The youngest is 15-year-old Sania. There is a real danger that this fate will continue into the fourth generation,” reports Sajid Christopher of the Human Friends Organisation (HFO) in an email from Pakistan on February 3, 2026. He is worried about this Christian family, who have been suffering under the burden of debt bondage for an unusually long time.

For more than thirty years, Javed Masih, now 72, has stood beside the brick kilns. He is marked by persistent exhaustion, a consequence of this gruelling physical labour and the constant struggle for the bare necessities of survival. “You can see from his skin that the brickworks dust has settled on it, and the weight of the bricks has bent his shoulders,” Christopher describes him.

“The days at the brickyard begin before sunrise. Javed Masih and his family work in the summer heat, where every step kicks up dust, and in the winter until they can no longer feel their hands,” Christopher tells us. While the grandfather fires bricks, the family members shape more clay blocks and lay them out to dry. They all have to help just to have enough to eat; there’s nothing left over for medical care, and the income was never enough for their son or grandchildren to attend school.

Over time, a loan taken out of desperation to ensure basic survival grew into an unmanageable debt. Today, Javed owes 399,756 rupees, which is just over €1,200. This is a sum far beyond his ability to repay. “This debt binds him to the brickyard and keeps him trapped in a cycle where his work contributes not to his family’s progress, but to servicing a debt that never diminishes,” Christopher continues. The brickyard owner refuses to let him leave until the entire amount is paid. Javed Masih lives as if imprisoned, and his future, and that of his descendants, is overshadowed by the fear that their personal bondage may not end until their deaths.

The poorest people, including a disproportionate number of Christians, fall into debt bondage by taking out cash advances from dubious moneylenders in times of need, without being informed about the terms and conditions. Those who have never attended school and cannot read or write are unaware of the pitfalls of the loan agreement. To repay the debt, they must then work it off. Due to high interest rates and low wages, those affected often become increasingly indebted. Debt bondage is not merely an economic issue. It is a form of modern slavery in which people toil endlessly under oppressive conditions without any hope of escape. Workers like Javed Masih are thus deprived of their rights and opportunities. As this example shows, this fate often extends into subsequent generations.
According to a report by the US State Department, 4.5 million people in Pakistan toil like slaves, not only in brick factories but also as farm labourers and domestic servants. Forced to support their parents in their work, it is estimated that more than one million children are deprived of opportunities for education and healthy development.

With the support of ISHR, Christopher has already helped several families escape extremely difficult situations, particularly where children were especially vulnerable. ISHR can also support this family in making a fresh start, with the anticipated costs amounting to around €2,000. This support would help provide the family with a safer foundation and the practical assistance needed to rebuild their lives.

The bricks are laboriously transported from the kiln on wheelbarrows © M. Koller