Five years ago, on December 20, 2019, after four relentless days of searching by the people of Hawraman and Marivan, along with civil and social organizations and mountaineering groups, the frozen body of 14-year-old child Kolbar Farhad Khosravi was found in the heights of Tehteh in Hawraman. This occurred three days after the heartbreaking death of his older brother, 17-year-old Azad Khosravi.
The tragic deaths of Azad and Farhad Khosravi are not merely an isolated incident but a stark symbol of the profound injustices within a capitalist society. These innocent children fell victim to a system where profit and exploitation of labor are prioritized over the basic needs of human beings.
Kolbari, often perceived as an individual choice, is in reality a forced consequence of dire economic conditions imposed by the capitalist system. Widespread poverty, lack of proper job opportunities, and severe inequality compel families to send their children into grueling and dangerous work like kolbari to make ends meet. This condition not only violates the fundamental rights of children but also highlights the abject failure of the capitalist system to meet the essential needs of society.
Instead of addressing the economic and social issues facing the people, the government suppresses protests and supports capitalists, perpetuating this unjust state of affairs. The deaths of Azad and Farhad are just one example among countless others of the ruthless disregard for human life inherent in the capitalist system.
On December 17, 2019, 14-year-old Farhad and his 17-year-old brother Azad set out for the mountains of Tehteh in Horaman, hoping to earn a small income. However, they were met with a fierce snowstorm and blizzard that immobilized them. Azad, the elder brother, was poorly dressed for such severe cold and could not withstand the icy conditions. Exhausted and frozen, he collapsed.
Farhad, refusing to leave his brother behind, took off his own clothes to cover Azad and ventured into the harsh mountains in search of help. Despite his efforts, Azad succumbed to the freezing cold, his body found the next day on December 18. His frozen body was taken to Marivan and buried in his hometown, the village of Ney in Marivan.
The community held onto hope that Farhad might still be alive. Hundreds of locals, accompanied by rescue teams from the Red Crescent in Sarvabad and Sanandaj, scoured the Tehteh mountains for him. After four days of tireless effort, Farhad’s frozen body was discovered on December 20, his hands clenched tightly in the cold.
The mountains, which should symbolize freedom and grandeur, became a prison and a graveyard for these two brothers. Their deaths are a silent scream against a system that drives children to their deaths.
Today, on the fifth anniversary of their passing, we honor their memory. We remember them so that their story and the suffering of countless other children in this land will not be forgotten.
Ending such tragedies requires a fundamental transformation of the political and social system. We must build a system where production is aimed at meeting human needs rather than generating profit. A society where all individuals share equally in social wealth and have equal opportunities for growth and fulfillment.
We look forward to a day when no child is forced into kolbari again.
