Minor maid tortured to death in Rawalpindi by employers for letting parrots free

[MenInG]

An eight-year-old domestic labourer was tortured to death in Rawalpindi by her employers after she accidentally freed two expensive parrots, local media reported on Wednesday.

According to reports, the eight-year-old, who hailed from Muzaffargarh, was hired to look after the child of a man identified as Hassan Siddiqui who worked in buying and selling birds and property.

Police officials told The Independent, Siddiqui confessed that he and his wife beat up the girl, who was working for them as a maid, in a fit of rage.

“[The] maid was cleaning the cage when she inadvertently let the two parrots free,” a spokesperson said. “Hassan and his wife got infuriated and brutally beat the maid.”

The publication further said the girl was brought to a private hospital on May 31 in an unconscious state and was kept on a ventilator in the ICU but died the next day.

Siddiqui, who had brought the girl to the hospital, had disappeared. However, he was later arrested along with his wife, according to a police report.

The hospital in its medical report said the minor had, “torture marks on her cheek, ribs and thighs.” Her body bore older bruises that had still not fully healed. The report also added that she had injury marks in areas suggesting possible rape.

Incidents of domestic help being tortured are not new in Pakistan. Last year, the battered body of 16-year-old domestic worker Uzma Bibi was found dumped in a canal and her wealthy employer had been charged with murder. In 2017 a famous TV presenter was charged with forcefully detaining her teenage maid.

On December 29, 2016, Tayyaba, a 10-year-old domestic help, was recovered from the house of a judge after receiving complaints of torture from neighbours. The issue sparked outrage on social media and led to calls for strict and swift justice.

An inquiry report by the police had found that the judge's wife was responsible for torturing the child maid, and the judge of indirect criminal negligence.

Later, on January 3, 2017, Tayyaba's parents reached a compromise and forgave the accused. However, the then Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, took suo motu notice of the compromise agreement and ordered the IHC to conduct a trial of the case.

Following the incident, the IHC suspended the judge and made him an officer on special duty (OSD).

IHC Justice Aamer Farooq ruled that the suspended Additional District and Sessions Judge Raja Khurram Ali Khan and his wife Maheen Zafar would serve a year each in prison for torturing the child maid under Section 328-A (cruelty to a child).

On January 11, 2018, IHC increased the sentence of the judge and his wife taking their total jail term to three years.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/291205-mi...alpindi-by-employers-for-letting-parrots-free

 

[sweep_shot]

Truly a sad incident.

This really shouldn't happen.

 

[gazza619]

so sad

I guess these are the reasons why the Almighty is not happy with our land hence we face so many troubles.

Injustice at its extreme!

 

[Bigboii]

So they possibly raped her (a child) before
They previously totured her brutally
If that wasn't enough they tortured her to death

Definitely some mental issues

Imagine if the kid didn't die still the mental trauma would have been devastating for her

So many minor maids and adults too are going through this right know just sad!!

 

[Shazzam]

I have no words to describe how wrong this is.

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari on Wednesday reiterated her resolve to declare domestic child labour hazardous under the Employment of Children Act 1991.

“In the absence of a proper law to protect domestic labour, this is the quickest way to protect children,” Dr Mazari told Dawn.

She was talking in reference to the murder of an eight-year-old domestic child labour. She was beaten to death by her employer for setting pet parrots free from their cage.

The Employment of Children’s Act 1991 prohibits employing children under 14 years of age in unsafe and hazardous environments such as factories, carpet industries and mines.

Dr Mazari has been asking the local administration, the minister of interior and the Ministry of Labour to make a proper law to protect domestic labour, including domestic child labour.

Says this is quickest way to protect children

In a tweet, Dr Mazari said her ministry was in touch with the police.

“Our lawyer is following the case. The husband and wife are on a four-day remand. MoHR proposed amendment to add domestic labour as a hazardous occupation in Schedule 1 of Employment of Children Act 1991,” she tweeted.

She also said a first information report (FIR) had been registered against the accused. She lamented that abuse of domestic child labourers is becoming so widespread.

“Just minutes ago we received another video of a seven-year-old domestic child worker screaming for help. Police have already reached the address in Bahria Town to rescue her. The girl will be taken to a women’s shelter,” Dr Mazari told Dawn.

The quickest way to protect children is by declaring domestic labourers hazardous for them. “The biggest problem is that there is no law protecting domestic labour, including rights of children,” she said as she emphasised putting a stop to employing underage children.

A bill concerning domestic labour drafted by the Ministry of Human Rights is lying with the Ministry of Law, she said.

Secretary Ministry of Human Rights Rabiya Javeri Agha stressed adding one more industry - domestic child labour - to Employment of Children Act 1991 which is not a complicated thing to do. “That will outlaw domestic child labour,” she said,

Emphasising changing the culture of abuse, Ms Agha said Pakistan is signatory to Convention on Rights of the Child (CRC) in which the definition of child is under 16, and Pakistan is legally bound to follow it.

“However, the constitution only restricts child labour till the age of 14 years. The first thing we must do is revisit the definition of a child in the Constitution of Pakistan to fix this discrepancy through legal intervention,” she said, adding parliament must support it.

According to an official, the Ministry of Human Rights will take up the matter again with the prime minister to declare domestic child labour a hazardous occupation under the Employment of Children Act 1991 as immediate measure to protect children.

“Children have heavily been engaged in homes for domestic work. This is the mindset we have to deal with and change it. It could be a while before a proper law is made to protect the interests of the domestic workforce. An amendment in the existing Act 1991 is the immediate solution,” he said.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1561210/minister-resolves-to-declare-a-child-labour-hazardous

 

[Bewal Express]

Obviously the parrots are worth more than the life of fellow human being.

 

[Abdullah719]

Pakistani stars speak out against child labour after minor maid gets beaten to death

Spoiler

Pakistani stars stepped forth demanding justice for a minor maid who was beaten to death by her employers in Rawalpindi on Wedneday.

The who’s who of Pakistan’s entertainment industry, including Mahira Khan, Armeena Khan, Osman Khalid Butt, Shaniera Akram and many others expressed their fury over the minor domestic worker named Zohra Shah getting beaten to death by her employers.

The Humsafar star retweeting a post about the child, wrote: “The demons walk freely among us.”

Shaniera Akram, wife of cricket legend Wasim Akram also raised her voice for the minor, while condemning those in Pakistan who fuel the issue of child labour by employing girls under the age of 14 as house help.

Armeena Khan shared a powerful image of a girl releasing a bird from a cage and added the hashtag #JusticeForZohra.

Osman Khalid Butt who is known to be vocal against injustices in society, seemed to be at a loss of words over the incident.

Singer Muniba Mazari also shared a heartbreaking post on Instagram that read: “He killed ZOHRA for releasing the birds from the cage. May be it was mistake or may be all she wanted was to set the birds free. And she was just 8 years old. Let that sink in.”

The eight-year-old domestic labourer was tortured to death in Rawalpindi by her employers after she accidentally freed two expensive parrots, local media reported on Wednesday.

According to reports, Zohra who hailed from Muzaffargarh, was hired to look after the child of a man identified as Hassan Siddiqui who worked in buying and selling birds and property.

Police officials told The Independent, Siddiqui confessed that he and his wife beat up the girl, who was working for them as a maid, in a fit of rage.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/291284-pa...-labour-after-minor-maid-gets-beaten-to-death

 

[MenInG]

A Pakistani couple have been arrested for allegedly murdering their seven-year-old maid after she was blamed for letting a pet bird escape, police said, the latest case of violence against child domestic workers in the country.

Hassan Siddiqui and his wife employed Zohra Bibi at their home in a middle-class suburb of Rawalpindi, near the capital, Islamabad, to care for their son of the same age.

"The poor girl was subjected to torture by Siddiqui and his wife who accused her of freeing one of the four pet Macao parrots," investigating officer Mukhtar Ahmad told AFP news agency on Thursday.

"Siddiqui kicked her in the lower abdomen which proved fatal."

Some 8.5 million people - including many children - are employed as domestic workers in Pakistan, according to the International Labour Organization.

Theoretically, it is illegal to employ anyone below the age of 15, but it remains a common practice.

Bibi was taken to hospital by the couple on Sunday, but she died the following day. The incident was reported to the police by staff at the hospital.

The young girl's body was handed over to her parents, who live in Muzaffargarh, near the city of Multan, more than 500km (300 miles) away from where she was working.

Shireen Mazari, federal human rights minister, confirmed the arrests in a tweet and said the ministry was in touch with police.

"Violence and physical torture against children will not be tolerated and all those involved in such incidents will be dealt with," city police chief Muhammad Ahsan Younus added.

Domestic workers frequently face exploitation, violence and sexual abuse, with Pakistan's patriarchal and rigid social-class structure leaving them without a voice.

Children are particularly vulnerable, and Bibi's case is the latest in a growing number of incidents involving minors.

In December 2018, the rising number of abuse cases led the provincial legislature in Punjab to set regulations for the employment of domestic workers, which theoretically grants them rights such as sick leave and holidays.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...ly-murdering-7-year-maid-200604122958848.html

 

[Kianig89]

Hamg the culprits yes its a murder the divide between the rich and the poor

 

[MenInG]

This is so typical in Pakistan - in my young days in Pakistan, people would boast about how they badly would treat their servants, like it was a badge of honour!

 

[Abdullah719]

Murdered minor torture was filmed by employers

A minor house helper, who had been beaten to death, was frequently tortured and the incidents were recorded on video, police said on Thursday.

Officials, who had obtained a four-day physical remand of the suspects as they probe the case, said on Thursday that they have managed to obtain access to the cellular devices of Hasan Siddiqui and his wife Umme Kulsoom.

They added that they recovered some videos from the devices which showed the minor, Zahra bibi, being tortured.
Officers added that among the videos, they also found an image which shows the minor domestic worker, who had been hired as a caretaker for the couple’s infant, locked up in a large birdcage, allegedly as a punishment.

A police officer, who is part of the investigation team, told The Express Tribune that the couple used to assault the child frequently before the incident surfaced.

He added that they have recovered multiple videos in which the victim could be seen being tortured.

When asked if the videos were recorded by the couple, the officer said that so far they have not obtained any evidence which proves that the couple had filmed the obscene videos. However, he said that they are still scouring the data obtained from the cellphones and there is a chance they could come across data which could be important for the case.

Moreover, the officer said that the victim’s father and the couple had an agreement for her services. Per the agreement, a sum of Rs80,000 had been paid to the Zohra’s father against her services for eight months. Further, both parties had agreed that if the victim serves for longer, her family will be entitled to an additional payment.

The officer added that Siddiqui used to breed birds for a living apart from dealing in property to earn his livelihood.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2235806/1-murdered-minor-torture-filmed-employers/

 

[Abdullah719]

Child maid killed over parrot release laid to rest

An eight-year-old girl who was killed by her employers in Rawalpindi for letting their pet parrots escape, was laid to rest in Kalar Wali, a suburban area of the city on Friday.

Last week on Sunday, the victim named Zohra, daughter of Tahir Shah, opened a parrot cage to feed the birds but one of macaw parrots flew away. As a punishment, Zohra’s employers, who run a business buying and selling animals, beat her unconscious before abandoning her at a local hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries on Monday.

Police arrested employer Hassan Siddiqi and his wife for torturing the maid to death. It is illegal to employ anyone under the age of 15, however, it remains a common practice in the city. Meanwhile, a young man’s both hands were cut after being trapped in an electric grass cutter.

Rescue 1122 informed that Muhammad Saleem, 25, was mowing grass at Rangpur Road near Chungi when all of a sudden both his hands were trapped in thecutter. Resultantly, his hands got cut. Rescue 1122 officials said that on being altered, the team reached the spot and after giving first aid to the injured, they shifted him to DHQ hospital.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2236432/1-child-maid-killed-parrot-release-laid-rest/

 

[Saj]

Vile, disgusting people.

So sad and shameful really.

 

[MenInG]

RAWALPINDI: The family of the couple accused of murdering their eight-year-old maid has offered her parents a patch-up, it has been learnt.

Syed Fazal Hussain Shah, the grandfather of the minor girl, told Dawn on telephone that efforts had been made by the family members of the couple for a patch-up which was turned down.

“We only want justice,” he said.

Mr Fazal denied that the parents of the girl had sent their daughter to Rawalpindi after taking some payment from the couple.

“The parents were only assured that their daughter will go to school and would be cared well by the couple who had been blessed with a newborn baby.”

No salary was demanded or anything else except the girl’s parents had been assured that their daughter would get better education and would be brought up in a better environment in the city, he said.

“Since the girl was taken to Rawalpindi four months ago, she was allowed to talk to her parents only twice or thrice. She had a last telephonic conversation with her mother three days before Eidul Fitr but didn’t complain to her mother about anything apparently due to the fear of the couple.”

However, Mr Shah said the parents of the victim were assured that she would be allowed to go to her native town on Eidul Azha.

The girl, who had three brothers and two sisters, had not yet started her schooling due to poverty and was attending a madressah in her hometown of Lal Chandra in Muzaffargarh.

Meanwhile, police have also recovered some video clips from the mobile phones of the couple showing the girl being tortured and put in a cage, said a senior police official.

On the other hand, the police have decided to conduct DNA testing of the accused man to verify any sexual assault on the girl as the police had already added a section of the law covering rape charges. The couple was remanded on four-day police custody by a local court which was further extended for three days on Saturday.

Initially, the police had registered an FIR on the charge of attempted murder but after the girl’s death a murder charge was added to the case against the couple.

A police investigating officer told Dawn that the couple had confessed to beating the girl which claimed her life but denied that she was subjected to sexual assault.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1562121/couple-accused-of-murdering-child-maid-seek-patch-up-with-parents

 

[Bewal Express]

RAWALPINDI: The family of the couple accused of murdering their eight-year-old maid has offered her parents a patch-up, it has been learnt.

Syed Fazal Hussain Shah, the grandfather of the minor girl, told Dawn on telephone that efforts had been made by the family members of the couple for a patch-up which was turned down.

“We only want justice,” he said.

Mr Fazal denied that the parents of the girl had sent their daughter to Rawalpindi after taking some payment from the couple.

“The parents were only assured that their daughter will go to school and would be cared well by the couple who had been blessed with a newborn baby.”

No salary was demanded or anything else except the girl’s parents had been assured that their daughter would get better education and would be brought up in a better environment in the city, he said.

“Since the girl was taken to Rawalpindi four months ago, she was allowed to talk to her parents only twice or thrice. She had a last telephonic conversation with her mother three days before Eidul Fitr but didn’t complain to her mother about anything apparently due to the fear of the couple.”

However, Mr Shah said the parents of the victim were assured that she would be allowed to go to her native town on Eidul Azha.

The girl, who had three brothers and two sisters, had not yet started her schooling due to poverty and was attending a madressah in her hometown of Lal Chandra in Muzaffargarh.

Meanwhile, police have also recovered some video clips from the mobile phones of the couple showing the girl being tortured and put in a cage, said a senior police official.

On the other hand, the police have decided to conduct DNA testing of the accused man to verify any sexual assault on the girl as the police had already added a section of the law covering rape charges. The couple was remanded on four-day police custody by a local court which was further extended for three days on Saturday.

Initially, the police had registered an FIR on the charge of attempted murder but after the girl’s death a murder charge was added to the case against the couple.

A police investigating officer told Dawn that the couple had confessed to beating the girl which claimed her life but denied that she was subjected to sexual assault.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1562121/couple-accused-of-murdering-child-maid-seek-patch-up-with-parents

There will be no justice, the family will accept the payoff and will state that she was well looked after and it was an accident.

 

[saeedhk]

Shameful! An 8 year old girl is working! This is a direct result of overpopulation. Parents are to blame for procreating and making the lives of their offspring miserable!!

 

[Abdullah719]

Faryal Makhdoom and Amir Khan launch Zohra Shah Child Protection Fund

After 10-year-old Zohra Shah was beaten to death by her employers for releasing a set of expensive parrots from a cage in Pakistan, the inhumane act sparked discourse on the failure of labour laws and its inability to protect children.

At such a time, boxer Amir Khan and wife Faryal Makhdoom have stepped up to launch a child protection fund in the victim's name, who succumbed to her injuries after being tortured and allegedly sexually assaulted.

The Zohra Shah Child Protection Fund aims to protect innocent children from human rights violations across Pakistan. Faryal took to social media to announce the news.

"I am going to reach out to Zohra's family and do whatever I can to help them and make sure they never have to send their daughters to work again," she said. "I'm going to support their family. Such are an acts of kindness and grace to humanity," she said.

The social media influencer also claimed she was receiving multiple messages regarding why the family sent their minor daughter to work.

"They didn't," claimed Makhdoom. "The father has told us that he has 6 kids and he sent Zohra to Islamabad with her khala (maternal aunt) to study there. The khala then put Zohra to work where she was beaten to death."

She also mentioned the family's living conditions were unfortunate, and that Zohra's grandfather mentioned they were offered Rs 6,000 for settlement, which was turned down.

"My team at Amir Khan Foundation visited Zohra's parents and siblings today. We have assured them that we will get justice for Zohra, and ensured them that they will all receive a good education. We also have their word that they will not be coerced into any financial settlement from Zohra's murderers."

"Finally, they are humbled at our child protection fund in Zohra's name, which will help thousands of children in the years to come, until we eradicate child abuse from Pakistan completely."

https://images.dawn.com/news/118538...-khan-launch-zohra-shah-child-protection-fund

 

[Abdullah719]

She also mentioned the family's living conditions were unfortunate, and that Zohra's grandfather mentioned they were offered Rs 6,000 for settlement, which was turned down.

Is that what her life was worth?

Pathetic.

 

[The Viper]

Zahra: Pakistan couple face polygraph over child maid 'tortured to death'

A couple in Pakistan accused of torturing their seven-year-old maid to death will be held in jail for two weeks while police arrange a polygraph.

Hospital staff in Rawalpindi alerted police at the end of May after the couple brought the injured girl, Zahra, for treatment. She died a day later.

It is illegal to employ anyone under 15 in Pakistan but it remains common.

The case has prompted anger and made national headlines. The accused couple have not commented publicly.

Pakistan's human rights minister promised to amend the laws to curb the practice of employing child workers. Critics say too little has been done to enforce laws already in place.

Zahra's grandfather Syed Fazal Hussain Shah told the BBC that a distant relative who had been working at Siddique's house as a cook for some years got Zahra the job with the couple, about five months ago.

"He said they will educate her, something that we couldn't afford. So we decided to send her," he said.

How do police say Zahra died?
According to a police report, Zahra was brought by her employer Hasan Siddique to a hospital in the upmarket Bahria Town district of Rawalpindi in a critical condition on 31 May.

She had been bleeding profusely and had torture marks on her face, chest, arms and legs. She was put on a ventilator in the intensive care unit (ICU) but died the next day.

According to the report, the police were alerted to the case by hospital staff on the morning of 1 June, when Zahra was still alive, but unconscious.

The hospital staff told the police that Mr Siddique had brought Zahra in at about 6:30pm on the previous day.

He is alleged to have told the staff that Zahra was his house maid and had allowed his parrots to escape from their cage, which enraged him and his wife and they beat her up.

Staff at the hospital say that while they were busy giving emergency aid to Zahra, Mr Siddique disappeared from the scene. They searched for him in the hospital premises but could not find him. So they contacted the police.

Police then tracked down and arrested the couple, using a copy of the national ID card which the man who brought Zahra into hospital had used to get her admitted.

What has the reaction been?
Many commentators have highlighted widespread social practices that expose children to abuse, violence and death in Pakistan.

While many social activists have called for those responsible for Zahra's death to be brought to justice, others have underlined the lack of legal protection for vulnerable children.

Meena Gabina, a rights activist and member of the left-wing Women's Democratic Forum (WDF), questioned the practice of employing young children as house maids.

"How do you kill a seven-year-old girl for freeing birds from a cage? How?" she tweeted.

Nida Kirmani, who teaches at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, said employing children as domestic servants was "the worst kind of exploitation".

In 2019, the Punjab provincial government had promulgated a law to ban employment of children below 15 years of age as domestic servants. But the law is widely flouted.

Some commentators have focused their ire on officials, who they accuse of doing too little on this issue.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-53008093

 

[Saj]

Something wrong with a society if an 8 year old girl is working.

What the hell is going on.

 

[Salman]

So common in Pakistan to hire kids to do domestic work by the wanna be middle class who are too lazy and greedy to hire an adult to do the same job. Makes me sick everytime i have visited and seen people even within my own family hire children as young as 10 to look after their own children while they attend to weddings or go out shopping. I have always made my feelings clear to them about how repulsive it is in this day in age but until its made punishable by long prison sentences and heavy penalties or rewards issued for reporting child employment, this nation will never change its exploitive mindset and maintain it's 100 years behind the west 3rd world status.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Our society is rotten to the core

 

[Saj]

The issue of child labour needs looking at as a matter of urgency. It's a worldwide problem but not enough is being done to combat it.

 

[Abdullah719]

Probe into Zohra Shah's murder stalls

RAWALPINDI: The probe into the alleged rape and murder of a minor domestic worker in Rawalpindi has seemingly ground to a halt with investigators still awaiting the final results of the autopsy and DNA samples nearly three weeks after the incident.

Zohra Shah, an eight-year-old domestic worker, had been allegedly beaten to death by her employers, including Hasan Siddiqui and his wife Umme Kulsoom, for setting an expensive parrot free on June 1.

Spoiler

Bleeding from the victim’s genitals had raised police suspicion that apart from being beaten, she may have allegedly been sexually assaulted as well.

Following this, the police had included sections of rape in the first information report (FIR) that initially focused only on the murder and assault.

The police had obtained physical remand of both suspects and currently, they are detained with their infant daughter.

Police officials, who are aware of the investigation but are not authorised to speak to the media, told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity, that they have yet to ascertain the exact cause of death of the minor as the doctors have yet to provide them with the final post-mortem report.

Without the reports, the police were facing immense difficulties in preparing the charge-sheet against the couple.

After over 20 days, the investigation officer is still unsure about the exact cause of death, sources said, adding that the delays in obtaining the post-mortem report could weaken the case and it may end up favouring the detained couple.

Further, the officials contended that the rape charges against the male employer can not be proved until they receive the DNA reports from the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (FPSA) in Lahore.

Expressing concerns over delays in the case, officials said that it heightens the possibility of a compromise or a deal between both parties as the victim’s family is quite impoverished.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2247676/1-probe-zohra-shahs-murder-stalls/

 

[Napa]

This is so typical in Pakistan - in my young days in Pakistan, people would boast about how they badly would treat their servants, like it was a badge of honour!

Are you sure about that? I understand that poverty creates this situation where children have to work in other people's houses, but boasting of ill-treatment of children is hard to believe.

 

[Bigboii]

Are you sure about that? I understand that poverty creates this situation where children have to work in other people's houses, but boasting of ill-treatment of children is hard to believe.

Set rakha wah hey

Nope it's very true child, adult doesn't matter but kids get beat up more tbh because they're weak and also we beat up our own kids so there's that false messiah complex that we do it our kids know we need to do it to this kid too in order to "fix" him/her but ofcourse its way more violenant

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari said that the Domestic Violence Bill (Protection and Prevention) will be tabled in National Assembly today [Wednesday].

In a tweet, the minister said that the bill has been prepared by the Ministry of Human Rights (MOHR) and is approved by Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC).

"The Domestic Violence (Protection and Prevention) Bill 2020 prepared by MOHR and approved by CCLC and Cabinet will be tabled today in NA," Mazari wrote on Twitter.

The minister also hoped that the Senior Citizen Bill, tabled in the assembly before the pandemic restrictions, will be expedited for its early implementation.

"Our Senior Citizens Bill has been with NA Standing Committee on HR since before the Pandemic restrictions. Hoping it is expedited soon," the tweet added.

Also read: Domestic violence during pandemic in Pakistan: How victims can stay safe

According to a periodical report of the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) from January-March 2020, there has been an alarming 200% raise in cases of violence against women in Pakistan over the past three months.

The report, according to The News, has been compiled from the data and information collected from national and provincial dailies. However, there is a strong possibility that many crimes had been committed and not reported or misreported at various locations in the country, it added.

The report mainly covers crimes regarding early child marriage, child abuse, child labour, domestic abuse, kidnapping, rape, violence against women and murder. The report says that more than 90% of the incidents of violence took place against children and women in the past months.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/296894-shireen-mazari-says-domestic-violence-bill-to-be-tabled-in-na-today

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: The Domestic Violence (Protection and Prevention) Bill 2020, that seeks to prevent domestic abuse against women, children, the elderly and vulnerable persons, was presented in the National Assembly on Wednesday.

As per contents of the bill, domestic abuse has been includes physically aggressive acts like hitting, kicking, slapping, and throwing objects as well as emotionally abusive acts like threats, emotional and economic abuse.

The provincial governments of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan have already enacted legislation to address the issue of domestic violence at provincial levels. The Ministry of Human Rights has drafted a Bill to protect rights of those vulnerable from the abuse, at the federal level.

The Bill aims to establish an effective system of protection, relief and rehabilitation of women, children, elders and other vulnerable persons against domestic violence in the territorial jurisdiction of Islamabad Capital Territory. It will provide relief to victims of domestic violence who are in domestic relationship and are related to each other by consanguinity, marriage and kinship etc.

The Bill also empowers courts to grant interim orders, protection custody and residence orders as well as award monetary relief to victims of violence at the expense of respondent. The Bill also envisages the creation of a Protection Committee to assist the aggrieved person and process his/her application in court. Ministry of Human Rights arranged number of consultations with the relevant stakeholders and also obtained No Objection Certificate from Ministry of Interior being the relevant Ministry to deal with the issues of violence.

A final round of consultations were held with by the Ministry of Human Resources with Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Minister for Science and Technology, Barrister Mirza Shahzad Akbar, State Minister for Interior/Special Assistant to PM (SAPM) and Faroogh Naseem, Minister for Law and Justice to finalize the Bill.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/297077-bi...d-elderly-from-domestic-abuse-presented-in-na

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: The Cabinet Division on Tuesday banned child domestic labour in the Islamabad capital territory (ICT) through a notification.

Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari in tweet stated: “Finally cabinet decision enforced through Gazette notification. Child Domestic Labour proscribed under 1991 Child Employment Act valid for ICT. Provinces can adopt through a simple provincial assembly resolution the same way. First time child domestic labour proscribed in Pakistan.”

The minister had been pushing for including domestic labour by children as a hazardous line of work in the act, maintaining that in the absence of legislation to protect domestic workers this would be the fastest way to protect children.

Ms Mazari pushed for the amendment after an eight-year-old domestic worker was beaten to death by her employer in the capital territory.

The Employment of Children Act 1991 prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 in unsafe and hazardous environments such as factories, carpet industries and mines.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1572655/child-domestic-labour-banned-in-islamabad

 

[MenInG]

RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari on Thursday stressed on the implementation of law in the rampant child abuse cases across Pakistan, saying the law itself was not the problem.

Speaking at the Judicial Complex after lawyers briefed her on the Zohra Shah case, Mazari said the government has already enacted laws on child labour and that kids under the age of 14 cannot be employed for domestic work.

"The Zohra Shah torture and murder case is a very important one for us. It's a test case," she said.

Read more: Pakistani stars speak out against child labour after minor maid beaten to death

Noting that her goal was to support and ensure there was justice in the case, she said there punishment should be meted out according to the law.

"The problem is not the law but the implementation of the law," the minister said.

Mazari added that complaints regarding missing kids and child abuse incidents can be lodged on the Zainab Alert app.

Zohra Shah, an eight-year-old domestic help also known as Zahra Shah in international media reports, was tortured to death in Rawalpindi by her employers back in May 2020 after she accidentally freed two expensive parrots, according to media.

Also read: Zohra Shah — a test case

A man, identified as Hassan Siddiqui and who worked in buying and selling exotic birds, had hired little Zohra to look after his children. Police told The Independent that she "was cleaning the cage when she inadvertently let the two parrots free".

"Hassan and his wife got infuriated and brutally beat the maid," a police spokesperson had said at the time, adding that Siddiqui confessed that he and his wife thrashed the girl in a fit of anger.

It was Siddiqui who had brought Zohra to the hospital but he vanished from the scene before he could be linked to her. The eight-year-old, however, succumbed to her injuries a day later.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/315740-za...ementation-of-law-in-child-labour-abuse-cases

 

[ahmedzee]

Child abuse culprits should have a death penalty. We dont need people like that living in this world.

 

[MenInG]

A Faisalabad minor who was tortured by her employers has returned to her parents, a police spokesperson said Saturday, hours after a case was registered in the matter.

The spokesperson said that the child would be shifted to the Child Protection Bureau and that she would be presented before the court on Monday.

The police had registered the case on the complaint of the Child Protection Bureau.

The bureau came into action after a video had surfaced of a family beating the child.

Earlier, the police had said that raids were being conducted to apprehend the suspects that tortured the child.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/322480-mi...alabad-police-register-case-against-employers

 

[Colorblind Genius]

These freaking baighairut parents who sell their minor kids should be castrated and punished first. If you can’t afford it then DONT bring babies.
Tubal ligation for woman and vasectomy for men, should be 100% free and easily accessible to all in Pakistan. This is THE VERY FIRST STEP towards solving the issue. Matter of fact, there should be some monetary award for anyone who goes thru these procedures. Pakistan desperately needs a very strong control on the explosive population growth.
Khaaney ko roti nahi lekin pichawaarey ki aag khatam nahi hoti.

Second, under 16 should be totally illegal to work.

Third, once convicted based on DNA or other undeniable evidence in a fair trial, the abusers should be severely punished and black listed from ever having any domestic help.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari on Thursday stressed on the implementation of law in the rampant child abuse cases across Pakistan, saying the law itself was not the problem.

Speaking at the Judicial Complex after lawyers briefed her on the Zohra Shah case, Mazari said the government has already enacted laws on child labour and that kids under the age of 14 cannot be employed for domestic work.

"The Zohra Shah torture and murder case is a very important one for us. It's a test case," she said.

Read more: Pakistani stars speak out against child labour after minor maid beaten to death

Noting that her goal was to support and ensure there was justice in the case, she said there punishment should be meted out according to the law.

"The problem is not the law but the implementation of the law," the minister said.

Publicising cases like this will do wonders for implementation of the law. These people only indulge in such behaviour because they think they can get away with it. It also needs work to raise public awareness that the law prevents children under the age of 14 from working.

 

[Manunited18]

As well as a poverty gap the education gap in the third world is the biggest concern.

 

[Deewana Mastana]

Even if there are laws in place there is no implementation of it anywhere in the country which let's these incidents happen on a daily basis.

The only reason why some are now coming to the limelight is because of social media and having access to it. But even then at times there's nothing that actually happens on the ground level.

 

[MenInG]

Its incredible that something like this still happens in Pakistan!

 

[watson367]

Its incredible that something like this still happens in Pakistan!

You won't believe what happens in Pakistan. Yaha sab chalta hai. Aur jaha sab chalta hai, wo maashra nahi chalta.

 

[Saj]

Did anything happen to the culprits or did they slip a few rupees to the police and everything was forgotten?

 

[saeedhk]

These freaking baighairut parents who sell their minor kids should be castrated and punished first. If you can’t afford it then DONT bring babies.
Tubal ligation for woman and vasectomy for men, should be 100% free and easily accessible to all in Pakistan. This is THE VERY FIRST STEP towards solving the issue. Matter of fact, there should be some monetary award for anyone who goes thru these procedures. Pakistan desperately needs a very strong control on the explosive population growth.
Khaaney ko roti nahi lekin pichawaarey ki aag khatam nahi hoti.

Second, under 16 should be totally illegal to work.

Third, once convicted based on DNA or other undeniable evidence in a fair trial, the abusers should be severely punished and black listed from ever having any domestic help.

I have talked about this issue of rapid population growth for the past decade. If you ask me, overpopulation is Pakistan’s biggest challenge because it is the root cause of all other problems related to education, health, employment and environment. It gives me chills whenever I remember that 18000 kids are born in Pakistan every day!

In Asia, Pakistan has the fastest growing population and the second highest fertility rate! On average, every Pakistani married couple has almost 4 kids compared with just two in Bangladesh.

Almost every country has managed to control its population except Pakistan.

Nobody is willing to take about this problem because they fear the right wing. In 2018, Imran held a conference on population control with Maulana Tariq Jamil among the attendees but the event sparked outraged among Pakistanis whom accused Imran of trying to stop the growth of the Ummah. Clerics said population control was haram. Orya said it was a Western conspiracy. I remember a Pakistani mullah here in Hong Kong also spoke against it in his sermon.

In short, Pakistan’s population will never slow down!The government is too scared of the right wing and Pakistanis have very strong religious beliefs against population control, family planning and contraceptives.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

I have talked about this issue of rapid population growth for the past decade. If you ask me, overpopulation is Pakistan’s biggest challenge because it is the root cause of all other problems related to education, health, employment and environment. It gives me chills whenever I remember that 18000 kids are born in Pakistan every day!

In Asia, Pakistan has the fastest growing population and the second highest fertility rate! On average, every Pakistani married couple has almost 4 kids compared with just two in Bangladesh.

Almost every country has managed to control its population except Pakistan.

Nobody is willing to take about this problem because they fear the right wing. In 2018, Imran held a conference on population control with Maulana Tariq Jamil among the attendees but the event sparked outraged among Pakistanis whom accused Imran of trying to stop the growth of the Ummah. Clerics said population control was haram. Orya said it was a Western conspiracy. I remember a Pakistani mullah here in Hong Kong also spoke against it in his sermon.

In short, Pakistan’s population will never slow down!The government is too scared of the right wing and Pakistanis have very strong religious beliefs against population control, family planning and contraceptives.

To some extent I do agree but I guess there is a good chance that we can put some sorta clamp on it.

I firmly believe that severe financial squeeze on many poor families is one the major hurdles behind failure on population control efforts.

They don’t want to spend money even on a bus or rikhsha fare to go a clinic or hospital for family planing consultation. They don’t even want to spend money on contraceptives and rubbers. I mean it’s between bread or condom.

Poor guys come home, stressed out with worries of not earning enough to afford a decent meal, tired and horny - the brain doesn’t work anymore and the only way to get some relief is to jump on their wives. Many others are jobless and they have nothing else to do in life besides breeding like rabbits.

And then they are ready to sell their minor kids for a lump sum payment of Rs 80,000 or whatever upfront, a year for domestic work.

The families who go to the villages/rural areas and purchase these kids then have a free hand to abuse and rape these kids year after year.

In many cases, these kids are admitted into madrasas by their parents simply because the madrassa provides two meals a day. And in many madrassas, you have wolves under the sheep’s skin. Child molestation and physical abuse incidents that come out ate only a tip of the iceberg.

It’s an EXTREMELY HORRIBLE situation for many of these minor domestic workers with no fault of their own.

Solution wise,
What can be done is that social workers knock at every door and give these continuous reminders to everyone (especially in the rural areas) that, let’s say, there is a Rs 10,000 pay out if you go through a free vasectomy or tubal ligation process.

I am sure millions will put aside the mullah’s advice and opt out for that Rs 10,000

People are extremely desperate for money and this is a win win situation for everyone.

 

[saeedhk]

To some extent I do agree but I guess there is a good chance that we can put some sorta clamp on it.

I firmly believe that severe financial squeeze on many poor families is one the major hurdles behind failure on population control efforts.

They don’t want to spend money even on a bus or rikhsha fare to go a clinic or hospital for family planing consultation. They don’t even want to spend money on contraceptives and rubbers. I mean it’s between bread or condom.

Poor guys come home, stressed out with worries of not earning enough to afford a decent meal, tired and horny - the brain doesn’t work anymore and the only way to get some relief is to jump on their wives. Many others are jobless and they have nothing else to do in life besides breeding like rabbits.

And then they are ready to sell their minor kids for a lump sum payment of Rs 80,000 or whatever upfront, a year for domestic work.

The families who go to the villages/rural areas and purchase these kids then have a free hand to abuse and rape these kids year after year.

In many cases, these kids are admitted into madrasas by their parents simply because the madrassa provides two meals a day. And in many madrassas, you have wolves under the sheep’s skin. Child molestation and physical abuse incidents that come out ate only a tip of the iceberg.

It’s an EXTREMELY HORRIBLE situation for many of these minor domestic workers with no fault of their own.

Solution wise,
What can be done is that social workers knock at every door and give these continuous reminders to everyone (especially in the rural areas) that, let’s say, there is a Rs 10,000 pay out if you go through a free vasectomy or tubal ligation process.

I am sure millions will put aside the mullah’s advice and opt out for that Rs 10,000

People are extremely desperate for money and this is a win win situation for everyone.

Yes, there is the financial strain too. However, even those who can afford contraceptives, are reluctant to practice birth control because their local mullah told them that by doing so, they are going against the will of Allah. I cannot recall the specifics but I remember a stat that 30-40% of Pakistanis think family planning is haraam. Strong religious beliefs against family planning has played a huge role in this population disaster.

Also, the current PTI is also not interested in promoting birth control because they fear the right wing.

Yeh abaadi nahin, barbaadi hai!

 

[saeedhk]

To some extent I do agree but I guess there is a good chance that we can put some sorta clamp on it.

I firmly believe that severe financial squeeze on many poor families is one the major hurdles behind failure on population control efforts.

They don’t want to spend money even on a bus or rikhsha fare to go a clinic or hospital for family planing consultation. They don’t even want to spend money on contraceptives and rubbers. I mean it’s between bread or condom.

Poor guys come home, stressed out with worries of not earning enough to afford a decent meal, tired and horny - the brain doesn’t work anymore and the only way to get some relief is to jump on their wives. Many others are jobless and they have nothing else to do in life besides breeding like rabbits.

And then they are ready to sell their minor kids for a lump sum payment of Rs 80,000 or whatever upfront, a year for domestic work.

The families who go to the villages/rural areas and purchase these kids then have a free hand to abuse and rape these kids year after year.

In many cases, these kids are admitted into madrasas by their parents simply because the madrassa provides two meals a day. And in many madrassas, you have wolves under the sheep’s skin. Child molestation and physical abuse incidents that come out ate only a tip of the iceberg.

It’s an EXTREMELY HORRIBLE situation for many of these minor domestic workers with no fault of their own.

Solution wise,
What can be done is that social workers knock at every door and give these continuous reminders to everyone (especially in the rural areas) that, let’s say, there is a Rs 10,000 pay out if you go through a free vasectomy or tubal ligation process.

I am sure millions will put aside the mullah’s advice and opt out for that Rs 10,000

People are extremely desperate for money and this is a win win situation for everyone.

There is a BBC documentary about child maids and their brutal treatment at the hands of their employers in Pakistan which is worth watching. It is really depressing and saddening.

They interview a father from Punjab who had sent off his eldest 6/7 year old daughter to work in Islamabad at a wealthy’s family house. The girl suffered horrible physical abuse to which the father seemed indifferent and went on to forgive the abusers after the story went viral.

You what he told the journalists? He said that he was poor and had four kids so her eldest 7 year-old daughter needed to work. Guess what? While the eldest daughter was away in Islamabad, he had one more baby! This is the madness!

Basically, poor Pakistanis keep on having babies because as soon their kids turn 6, they send them off to work as domestic helpers. More babies translate into more sources of income. This is shameful!

 

[hafeezrocks]

Poor and illiterate people are not going to stop having kids over nothing. Having kids working at the big houses of rich people provides income to the parents.

 

[Firebat]

Lahore minor rescued from abusive employers after neighbours call police for help

LAHORE: Police rescued a 10-year-old minor girl from a government official's residence in the city's Wahdat Colony, Geo News reported Thursday.

According to the police, they had to climb a ladder to enter the house and rescue the child.

"The 10-year-old child maid was allegedly tortured by the owners" police said, adding that it swiftly took action and rescued the child maid after residents of the area launched a complaint regarding the matter.

When questioned by the police, the child said she was hired as a domestic worker in Malik Tariq's house and had been working there for the last one-and-a-half years.

"My father had left me in [Tariq's] office and from there [he took me home]."

In response to the incident, Punjab's Child Protection Bureau took notice and ordered the child to be taken into its custody. The department's chairperson, Sara Ahmad, said the police took timely action and rescued the child.

"The house owner and the family would [allegedly] torture the girl every day," she said, adding that the child was a resident of Kasur.

"The parents will be contacted soon ... justice will be served," the chairperson vowed.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/339239-la...ployers-after-neighbours-call-police-for-help

 

[wajid]

What saddens me most is that in Pakistan certain sections of society has been treated ina strange way like they don’t exist or like if they are sub human. And they need to die or get tortured for anybody to take notice.

In Karachi my liberal friends give speeches against child labour on chai shops while chai is being served by 8-12 years old Pashtun kids!! Anytime I see children selling or begging on roads, I feel like more likely than not they are getting abuse of all kinds from their adult handlers.

This is so depressing. I tried to escape Karachi but Islamabad has also went same way over the years. And not only that, now after pandemic I am seeing increasing numbers of child, single mom and adult beggars on street corners and traffic signals in Houston!! Really worrying.

 

[MenInG]

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has banned forced labor and domestic work of children below 14 years of age.
The KP Assembly approved the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Home Based Workers (Welfare and Protection) Bill, 2021 to address the rights, duties and problems of domestic workers.

KP Labour Minister Shaukat Yousafzai introduced the Home Based Workers Welfare and Protection Bill 2021 for approval. Under the law, children under the age of 14 are prohibited from engaging in domestic and forced labour.

The law will allow for a regular appointment letter to be issued for recruitment, which should clearly state someone's salary, method of payment and nature of work.

After implementation of this law, every employer will be required to give an appointment letter to their domestic workers. According to the conditions in the bill, individuals can only work for eight hours. However, if an employee wants to do extra work of their own free will, they can and will be paid overtime. However, even in this case, the weekly working period should not exceed 60 hours.

The law requires the employer to notify the employee in writing in advance of one month's dismissal or resignation, and a full month's salary will be paid.

 

[BouncerGuy]

'Died for stealing chocolate': Pakistan anger over death of child maid

A couple in north-east Pakistan has been detained for allegedly murdering a 13-year-old girl who worked for them as a maid, for allegedly stealing chocolates.

The girl who goes only by one name, Iqra, succumbed to multiple injuries at the hospital last Wednesday. A preliminary police investigation said she had been tortured.

The case in Rawalpindi has sparked widespread outrage and posts with the hashtag #JusticeforIqra garnering tens of thousands of views, and reigniting debate over child labour and the mistreatment of domestic workers.

Laws pertaining to child labour can vary across the country, but children under the age of 15 cannot be employed as domestic workers in the province of Punjab.

"I felt completely shattered inside when she died," Iqra's father, Sana Ullah, told the BBC.

He said that he had received a call from the police about Iqra last Wednesday. When he rushed to the hospital, he saw Iqra lying on a bed, unconscious. She passed away minutes later.

Iqra began working as a maid from the age of eight. Her father, a 45-year-old farmer, said he had sent her to work because he was in debt.

After working for a few employers, she went to work for the couple two years ago, who have eight children of their own. She was earning about £23 ($28) per month.

Police said Iqra had been accused of stealing chocolates from her employers, adding that a preliminary investigation showed that Iqra had been tortured.

Police also say there was evidence of frequent abuse. Pictures and videos obtained by the BBC showed multiple fractures in her legs and arms, as well as a serious injury to her head.

An autopsy is being conducted to assess the full extent of her injuries, and the police has told the BBC that they were still awaiting the final medical report.

"My heart cries tears of blood. How many... are subjected to violence in their homes every day for a trivial job of a few thousand?" activist Shehr Bano wrote on X. "How long will the poor continue to lower their daughters into graves in this way?"

Others have pointed out that her murder was allegedly triggered by something so minor.

"She died over chocolate?" asked one Pakistani user on X.

"This is not just a crime, it's a reflection of [a] system that enables [the] rich to treat [the] poor as disposable," another said.

Iqra's employers, Rashid Shafiq and his wife Sana, have been arrested, along with a Quran teacher, who worked for the family. The teacher had brought Iqra to the hospital and left after telling hospital staff that the girl's father had died and her mother was not around.

Police told the BBC it was unclear if she believed this to be the truth.

Iqra's father says he wants to see "those responsible for my daughter's death punished".

Despite the public outrage such cases usually garner, they are typically settled out of court and it's rare for suspects to be successfully prosecuted.

In 2018, a judge and his wife were sentenced to three years in jail for torturing their then 10-year-old maid in what had been a highly publicised case that sparked outrage across the country. But they later had their sentences reduced to one year.

Tayyaba was found with severe injuries, which the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science said included burns to her hands and feet. Pictures of the girl also showed cuts and bruising to her face, along with a swollen left eye. She told prosecutors she was beaten for losing a broom.

Under Pakistani law, victims or their families have the right to forgive suspects in a number of serious crimes. To do so, they have to state in court that they forgive a suspect "in the name of God".

In reality, legal observers say that the primary motive for that "forgiveness" is normally financial, and paying victims is not illegal.

About 3.3 million children in Pakistan are engaged in child labour, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef). Moreover, women and young girls make up a vast majority of Pakistan's 8.5 million domestic workers, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

BBC