Please note: As of January 20, 2021, information in some news releases may be out of date or not reflect current policies.
News Release
Child labor prosecutor Alain-Georges Moukoko of Gabon honored as 2015 Iqbal Masih Award recipient
WASHINGTON — In April 1995, on a dusty, rural road in his native Pakistan, 13-year-old Iqbal Masih was riding his bicycle when an unknown gunman shot and killed him. Three years earlier, he had escaped after five years of slavery as a carpet weaver to become an outspoken advocate against child exploitation.
At the time of his murder, he had just returned from the United States, where he had journeyed for the first time in his life to raise awareness of child labor and forced labor worldwide. He said, "I want to do what Abraham Lincoln did," He dreamed of becoming a lawyer and devoting his life to freeing children from forced labor.
Twenty years after Iqbal's tragic death, his legacy lives on. There are still an estimated 168 million child laborers worldwide, but this is more than 80 million fewer than were working in Iqbal's time. Meanwhile, courageous people around the world have taken up Iqbal Masih's mantle as the fight for his cause continues.
Today, the U.S. Department of Labor recognized one such hero by awarding its 2015 Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor to Alain-Georges Moukoko, a prosecutor from Gabon.
"Having worked to prosecute human traffickers early in my career, I have great appreciation for the difficulties of bringing the perpetrators of these crimes to justice," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. "Mr. Moukoko's fearlessness, his tenacity and his compassion for his country's most vulnerable are an inspiration, and I am honored to recognize him for his noble work."
Mr. Moukoko has rescued children from work in domestic servitude, smoked fish production, sand quarries, brick factories and other sectors. At his own expense, he has helped feed these children and transport them to shelters across the country, eventually returning them to their homes or a safe environment. His work contributed to the first-ever conviction of child-traffickers in Gabon. He has also worked with INTERPOL to mount legal cases against exploiters and child-traffickers residing abroad.
After escaping years of forced labor, Iqbal Masih dedicated his life to ending child labor.
U.S. Ambassador to Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe Cynthia H. Akuetteh (left) presents the 2015 Iqbal Masih Award to prosecutor Alain-Georges Moukoko in Libreville, Gabon, June 12, 2015.
Through his efforts, Mr. Moukoko has helped dismantle several forced labor and trafficking rings. He has been instrumental in holding perpetrators accountable for child labor exploitation. In doing so, he has sent the message that such practices are intolerable. He has also trained public officials about Gabon's laws against trafficking of children for labor exploitation, and about how to identify and assist trafficking victims.
U.S. Ambassador to Gabon Cynthia Akuetteh presented Mr. Moukoko with the award at a ceremony at the U.S. Embassy in Libreville this morning.
Congress established the Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor in 2009 to recognize exceptional efforts by an individual, company, organization or national government to end the worst forms of child labor. Alain-Georges Moukoko is the seventh recipient of this non-monetary award.
Since 1995, the Labor Department has supported global efforts to combat exploitative child labor internationally. For more information about this work and the Iqbal Masih Award, visit http://www.dol.gov/ilab/.