Pakistani boy who burned himself over uniform dies

By 윤민식

Published : April 2, 2012 - 09:44

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A Pakistani boy who set himself on fire because his parents could not afford to buy him a new school uniform has died, his family and officials said Sunday.

Pakistani children play cricket at a park in Islamabad. (MCT)

The tragic story is a reminder of the woeful lives of Pakistan's many dirt-poor citizens. It brings out the challenges facing those clinging to the hope that education could be the ticket to climbing up from the bottom rung of society.

Like many in Pakistan, 13-year-old Kamran Khan's family did not have enough money to send him to school. He was such a promising student that a local private school allowed him to attend for free, said the boy's older brother, Saleem Khan.

Even then, the family struggled. The boys' father borrowed money from relatives to buy a work visa to Saudi Arabia four months ago, but he hasn't yet found a job there, said the elder Khan. Their mother works as a maid.

The younger Khan used to wander the streets in Shabqadar, their town of 60,000 in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, looking for bits of metal scrap and other items to sell to help out the family, said his brother.

He never asked for anything, his brother said, but last month he pleaded with his mother for several days to buy him a new school uniform, a white shalwar kameez, the loose-fitting pants and top worn by both men and women in Pakistan. He was embarrassed that his old one was worn out and patched up.

His mother sympathized with him but repeatedly told him the family didn't have the money. She finally lost her patience with him on March 24 and slapped him, said his brother.

   The young boy responded by saying, ``If you can't buy me a uniform, then I'm going to kill myself,'' according to his brother.

   He stormed out of their house, doused himself with gasoline and lit himself on fire, said his brother. The youth suffered burns on 65 percent of his body. He was taken to an army-run hospital in Punjab province. But the family could only raise one-tenth of the roughly $5,500 they needed for his treatment.

   He died of his injuries on Saturday, said Zahir Shah, a police officer in Shabqadar.

   Public school fees in Pakistan average only around $2 per month, but even this is often too much for poor Pakistanis, who tend to have many children.

   About 30 percent of Pakistanis have received less than two years of education, according to a report issued last year by the Pakistani government.

   The results are poor even for those kids who do attend school. Around 50 percent of school children aged 6-16 can't read a sentence, said the report. (AP)

<관련 한글 기사>

10대 소년, 교복 살 돈 없어 분신자살

파키스탄에서 부모가 새 교복을 사 줄 형편 이 못되자 자신의 몸에 불을 질렀던 캄란 칸(13)이 끝내 숨졌다고 1일(현지시간) 그 의 가족과 현지 경찰이 밝혔다.

키베르 파크툰와주(州)의 샤브카다르 마을에 살던 칸의 가족은 음식을 마련할 돈조차 없을 정도로 가난했다.

어머니는 파출부로 일하며, 그의 아버지는 4달 전 빌린 돈으로 취업비자를 얻어 사우디아라비아로 갔으나 아직 그곳에서 직장을 구하지 못했다.

다른 파키스탄인들처럼 칸의 가족도 수업료를 낼 형편이 안됐다. 그러나 한 지방 사립학교가 유망한 학생이었던 칸에게 무료로 수업을 들을 수 있도록 해줬다고 칸의 형이 말했다.

칸의 형은 또 동생이 가족 살림에 보탬이 되기 위해 금속 조각과 같이 팔 수 있 을 만한 물건을 찾으러 마을을 돌아다녔다면서 그가 한번도 부모에게 무엇을 해달라 고 요구한 적이 없다고 회상했다.

그러던 칸이 새 교복을 사달라며 부모에게 처음으로 떼를 썼다.

입던 교복이 닳아 입고 다니기가 챙피했던 것.

며칠간 매달리는 칸을 달래다 화를 참지 못한 어머니는 지난달 24일 아들을 때렸고, 칸은 "교복을 사주지 않으면 자살하겠다"며 반항했다.

이어 다음날 칸은 집 밖으로 뛰쳐나가 온몸을 휘발유로 적신 뒤 분신했다.

몸 전체의 65％가 화상을 입어 인근 병원으로 옮겨졌지만 그의 부모는 치료비를 마련할 방도가 없었다.

칸의 형은 "의사는 5천500달러(약 621만원)를 내라고 했지만 우리는 음식을 살 돈도 없다"고 말했다.

결국 칸은 5일동안 위독한 상태에 있다가 31일 숨졌다.

칸의 사연은 음식을 마련할 돈조차 없는 수많은 파키스탄 빈민가의 단면을 보여 주는 것이어서 안타까움을 더하고 있다.

실제 파키스탄 공립학교는 수업료가 한 달에 2달러(약 2천200원) 정도지만 자녀가 많은 파키스탄 빈민 가족에게는 이조차 버겁다.

지난해 파키스탄 정부가 발표한 보고서에 따르면, 30％의 파키스탄인들은 2년 이하의 교육을 받으며 6세 이상 16세 이하의 학교를 다니는 아이들조차 절반 가량이 한 문장도 읽지 못한다. (연합뉴스)

Pakistani boy who burned himself over uniform dies

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