by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
KASUR, PAKISTAN (Worthy News) – A young Christian brick-kiln worker in Pakistan’s Punjab province says he was beaten, chained, and threatened after protesting low wages and working conditions, while his wife and children were also assaulted in a case raising fresh concerns about bonded labor among impoverished Christians.
Lazar Masih, a Christian laborer in his 20s, worked at Bhatta No. 11 near Rosa Bhail in Kasur district, where images showed laborers working among rows of bricks under scorching heat.
Masih described the alleged abuse, which he said occurred last month, in video testimony obtained by Worthy News through Christian advocacy group LEAD Ministries. “They take seven people away and beat them with sticks,” he said, describing what he claimed happened to workers at the kiln. “They say, ‘You have to work for us.’”
He alleged that several men associated with the kiln beat him and other workers and used intimidation to force them to continue working.
FAMILY FACES VIOLENCE
The apparent violence also engulfed his family. Masih said his wife went to the kiln but was beaten and subsequently fled. “They beat her, and she fled. We don’t know where she is,” he recalled.
His children were nearby during the violence and were slapped as well, Masih said, leaving a family already struggling financially facing separation and further uncertainty.
He linked the confrontation to inadequate work and extremely low pay, saying workers received less than 600 Pakistani rupees (about $2.15). LEAD Ministries said Masih’s family also faced deductions from earnings that contributed to its economic hardship.
Christian advocates say such arrangements can leave impoverished workers dependent on kiln operators, particularly when debts or employment advances are involved and workers have few realistic alternatives.
WORKER SAYS HE WAS CHAINED
Masih identified several men whom he accused of participating in the violence. He said one struck him with a stick before shackles or chains were placed on him.
“They all beat me,” Masih recalled. He also described threats of further violence, saying his attackers warned they would “throw you into the drain outside the road.”
Masih said he eventually refused to continue making bricks regardless of how much money he might owe. “Even if I end up owing one crore rupees, I will stop making bricks, but I will not go with you people,” he recalled telling them. One crore rupees equals 10 million Pakistani rupees, or about $36,000.
There was no immediate public response from those he accused.
MOTHER PLEADED FOR RELEASE
Masih said his brother eventually submitted an application seeking his release, while his elderly mother repeatedly pleaded on his behalf. “My mother kept pleading. She has died now. They released me,” he said.
Sardar Mushtaq Gill, founder of LEAD Ministries and a Christian rights advocate, told Worthy News that the organization has encountered cases involving Christian brick-kiln families facing alleged bonded labor, intimidation, exploitation, physical abuse and severe economic hardship.
Pastor Imran Amanat, head of advocacy group LEAD Ministries, condemned what the organization described as physical and psychological abuse of vulnerable workers and urged stronger legal protection and practical economic alternatives for Christian families.
Bonded labor remains widespread in Pakistan despite laws prohibiting the practice. Experts have estimated that about 4.5 million workers nationwide are trapped in bonded labor, primarily in Punjab and Sindh provinces, according to figures cited in the U.S. State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report.
MODERN-DAY SLAVERY
Bonded labor, also known as debt bondage, is widely recognized as a form of modern-day slavery in which people are compelled to work to repay a debt or advance, often under conditions that make the debt difficult or impossible to clear. In Pakistan’s brick-kiln industry, workers and sometimes entire families can become tied to employers through debts they struggle to repay.
The problem extends across agriculture, brick making and other industries, with men, women and children forced to work to repay debts that can sometimes entrap entire families for generations.
Christians are particularly prominent in Punjab’s brick-making industry. Pakistan’s National Commission for Human Rights has estimated that about 60 percent of workers living and working at brick kilns in Punjab are Christians, although Christians comprise only a small minority of Pakistan’s overwhelmingly Muslim population.
The commission said poverty, limited education and discrimination leave Christian laborers particularly vulnerable to economic and social exploitation. Other reports have also identified Hindu Dalits and impoverished Muslims among those subjected to forced and bonded labor.
DEBT TRAPS FAMILIES
Workers who receive advances can become economically dependent on employers, while low earnings and disputed accounting can make repayment difficult. Rights investigators have reported cases in which workers were unable to determine when debts had been repaid and families remained tied to employers for years.
Children are especially vulnerable to the consequences of debt bondage, with poverty potentially limiting their access to education and increasing the risk that they work alongside indebted family members, according to investigators.
Gill acknowledged that not every labor dispute involving a Christian worker should automatically be classified as religious persecution but stressed that “each case requires credible evidence and proper investigation.”
Gill said Masih’s allegations of physical abuse, intimidation, coercion and bonded labor warrant scrutiny by Pakistani authorities.
INVESTIGATION URGED
LEAD Ministries urged authorities to conduct a prompt, impartial and transparent investigation into what happened at Bhatta No. 11 and ensure Masih and his family are protected against retaliation.
The organization also appealed to churches, humanitarian groups and governments to move beyond emergency assistance by supporting education, vocational training, legal assistance and lawful employment opportunities that could help vulnerable families escape debt and dependence.
“The goal should not be permanent dependency. The goal should be opportunity,” the organization said.
Gill also criticized Western nations for what he described as a reluctance to provide refuge to persecuted Pakistani Christians. He urged Christian-majority countries to consider lawful asylum, resettlement and employment opportunities for Christians facing persecution or severe vulnerability in Pakistan.
WESTERN ASYLUM DEBATE
European governments, however, have faced intense political and logistical pressure over migration and asylum, with several arguing that their reception systems are already under severe strain from large numbers of migrants and asylum seekers, including undocumented arrivals. Many of those reaching Europe originate from Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Gill argued that persecuted Christians should not be overlooked as European governments seek to control irregular migration, saying those facing documented threats because of their faith should have access to lawful protection.
For Masih, the consequences remain deeply personal: he says his wife fled after being beaten, his children experienced violence, his mother pleaded for his release before her death, and his family faces an uncertain future.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
The following code is how the above article is generated with the Worthy Suite WordPress Plugin.
[worthy_plugins_news_story_body]This is how you display a story with an image.
Young Christian Brick Worker Alleges Torture, Bonded Labor In Pakistan (Worthy News Investigation)
by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
KASUR, PAKISTAN (Worthy News) – A young Christian brick-kiln worker in Pakistan’s Punjab province says he was beaten, chained, and threatened after protesting low wages and working conditions, while his wife and children were also assaulted in a case raising fresh concerns about bonded labor among impoverished Christians.
Lazar Masih, a Christian laborer in his 20s, worked at Bhatta No. 11 near Rosa Bhail in Kasur district, where images showed laborers working among rows of bricks under scorching heat.
Masih described the alleged abuse, which he said occurred last month, in video testimony obtained by Worthy News through Christian advocacy group LEAD Ministries. “They take seven people away and beat them with sticks,” he said, describing what he claimed happened to workers at the kiln. “They say, ‘You have to work for us.’”
He alleged that several men associated with the kiln beat him and other workers and used intimidation to force them to continue working.
FAMILY FACES VIOLENCE
The apparent violence also engulfed his family. Masih said his wife went to the kiln but was beaten and subsequently fled. “They beat her, and she fled. We don’t know where she is,” he recalled.
His children were nearby during the violence and were slapped as well, Masih said, leaving a family already struggling financially facing separation and further uncertainty.
He linked the confrontation to inadequate work and extremely low pay, saying workers received less than 600 Pakistani rupees (about $2.15). LEAD Ministries said Masih’s family also faced deductions from earnings that contributed to its economic hardship.
Christian advocates say such arrangements can leave impoverished workers dependent on kiln operators, particularly when debts or employment advances are involved and workers have few realistic alternatives.
WORKER SAYS HE WAS CHAINED
Masih identified several men whom he accused of participating in the violence. He said one struck him with a stick before shackles or chains were placed on him.
“They all beat me,” Masih recalled. He also described threats of further violence, saying his attackers warned they would “throw you into the drain outside the road.”
Masih said he eventually refused to continue making bricks regardless of how much money he might owe. “Even if I end up owing one crore rupees, I will stop making bricks, but I will not go with you people,” he recalled telling them. One crore rupees equals 10 million Pakistani rupees, or about $36,000.
There was no immediate public response from those he accused.
MOTHER PLEADED FOR RELEASE
Masih said his brother eventually submitted an application seeking his release, while his elderly mother repeatedly pleaded on his behalf. “My mother kept pleading. She has died now. They released me,” he said.
Sardar Mushtaq Gill, founder of LEAD Ministries and a Christian rights advocate, told Worthy News that the organization has encountered cases involving Christian brick-kiln families facing alleged bonded labor, intimidation, exploitation, physical abuse and severe economic hardship.
Pastor Imran Amanat, head of advocacy group LEAD Ministries, condemned what the organization described as physical and psychological abuse of vulnerable workers and urged stronger legal protection and practical economic alternatives for Christian families.
Bonded labor remains widespread in Pakistan despite laws prohibiting the practice. Experts have estimated that about 4.5 million workers nationwide are trapped in bonded labor, primarily in Punjab and Sindh provinces, according to figures cited in the U.S. State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report.
MODERN-DAY SLAVERY
Bonded labor, also known as debt bondage, is widely recognized as a form of modern-day slavery in which people are compelled to work to repay a debt or advance, often under conditions that make the debt difficult or impossible to clear. In Pakistan’s brick-kiln industry, workers and sometimes entire families can become tied to employers through debts they struggle to repay.
The problem extends across agriculture, brick making and other industries, with men, women and children forced to work to repay debts that can sometimes entrap entire families for generations.
Christians are particularly prominent in Punjab’s brick-making industry. Pakistan’s National Commission for Human Rights has estimated that about 60 percent of workers living and working at brick kilns in Punjab are Christians, although Christians comprise only a small minority of Pakistan’s overwhelmingly Muslim population.
The commission said poverty, limited education and discrimination leave Christian laborers particularly vulnerable to economic and social exploitation. Other reports have also identified Hindu Dalits and impoverished Muslims among those subjected to forced and bonded labor.
DEBT TRAPS FAMILIES
Workers who receive advances can become economically dependent on employers, while low earnings and disputed accounting can make repayment difficult. Rights investigators have reported cases in which workers were unable to determine when debts had been repaid and families remained tied to employers for years.
Children are especially vulnerable to the consequences of debt bondage, with poverty potentially limiting their access to education and increasing the risk that they work alongside indebted family members, according to investigators.
Gill acknowledged that not every labor dispute involving a Christian worker should automatically be classified as religious persecution but stressed that “each case requires credible evidence and proper investigation.”
Gill said Masih’s allegations of physical abuse, intimidation, coercion and bonded labor warrant scrutiny by Pakistani authorities.
INVESTIGATION URGED
LEAD Ministries urged authorities to conduct a prompt, impartial and transparent investigation into what happened at Bhatta No. 11 and ensure Masih and his family are protected against retaliation.
The organization also appealed to churches, humanitarian groups and governments to move beyond emergency assistance by supporting education, vocational training, legal assistance and lawful employment opportunities that could help vulnerable families escape debt and dependence.
“The goal should not be permanent dependency. The goal should be opportunity,” the organization said.
Gill also criticized Western nations for what he described as a reluctance to provide refuge to persecuted Pakistani Christians. He urged Christian-majority countries to consider lawful asylum, resettlement and employment opportunities for Christians facing persecution or severe vulnerability in Pakistan.
WESTERN ASYLUM DEBATE
European governments, however, have faced intense political and logistical pressure over migration and asylum, with several arguing that their reception systems are already under severe strain from large numbers of migrants and asylum seekers, including undocumented arrivals. Many of those reaching Europe originate from Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Gill argued that persecuted Christians should not be overlooked as European governments seek to control irregular migration, saying those facing documented threats because of their faith should have access to lawful protection.
For Masih, the consequences remain deeply personal: he says his wife fled after being beaten, his children experienced violence, his mother pleaded for his release before her death, and his family faces an uncertain future.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
[worthy_plugins_news_story_title]
<div style="text-align:right; padding:0px 0px 10px 15px; float:right; width:300px;"><img src="[worthy_plugins_news_story_image name=sm_medium]" alt="" /></div>[worthy_plugins_news_story_body]