Lionel Messi Was Rescued as a Child Labourer. Now, He Wants to Help Others Like Him

He was taken from his home at the age of seven and endured a life worse than one would wish even on their enemies.

He was employed as a full-time child labourer in north Bengal where the owner of the house did not give him any food for hours. He was made to work from four in the morning to eight at night. He had the additional responsibility of caring for the owner’s three-year-old daughter along with all the other chores.

For the smallest of mistakes, the child would be beaten mercilessly. Sometimes his hands and feet were tied and he was left in the dark under the stairs. Other times, he would be left outside the house on a winter night. Exactly a year later, a  neighbour informed a local NGO and he was rescued. The child, who was almost ill at the time, is now a 13-year-old boy.

The teenager, who introduces himself as Lionel Messi, was brought to the office of the Child Rights Commission in Ultadanga on Friday. Today, he was made the Honorary Chairperson of the Commission for an hour. Sitting among the members of the commission, he spoke about his troubled childhood and the year-long torment.

Messi, who has been living in a government home in North Bengal since he was rescued, is currently a Class 7 student in an English medium school. The 13-year-has sent a letter to the state’s Minister for Children and Women’s Welfare department Shashi Panja, where he made eight recommendations. Now, his aim is to help others like him.

And what does Messi want to be when he grows up? He quickly replies, “A commando! If anyone harms another another child, I will teach them a lesson.”

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here.