An illegally employed 8-year-old girl from Rawalpindi, Pakistan was killed by her employers after letting their pet parrots escape. On May 31, the girl named Zohra, opened the cage of parrots to feed them but the parrots flew away.
Beaten to death
According to Rawalpindi police superintendent Zia Uddin, Zohra's employers punished her by beating her unconscious before leaving her at a local hospital. The girl died on June 1. The police report states the employers run a business that buys and sells animals.
The local hospital where Zohra was left called the police immediately, and the two suspects have been arrested. In the police investigation, it stated that Zohra was still alive when she was dropped at the hospital.
Doctors saw injuries on her hands, face, legs, and below her rib cage. The child also had wounds on her thighs, which means that she might have been sexually assaulted by the suspects. The police detained the suspects for three days while they investigate the incident and gather evidence.
The police also sent samples to the forensic team to examine, and they are now waiting for the results. The two suspects will be charged as soon as the investigation is complete.
Zohra was initially employed by the two suspects to babysit their child, and instead of wages, the two offered to pay for the education of the 8-year-old girl.
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Child labor
According to a report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan or HRCP that was released in 2018, Pakistan has a massive problem with child labor. Although the country does not have a national legal minimum age for employment, the law still prohibits minors from working as domestic servants.
Unfortunately, Zohra's case is not unusual in the country. In June 2018, a couple from Islamabad was sentenced to three years in prison and a $3,000 fine for each after they kept a 10-year-old child in illegal confinement.
The child who worked for the couple as a maid had her hand burned. She was also hit with a ladle and she was threatened just because she lost their broom.
In another case, an 11-year-old domestic maid was clubbed and burned by her employers, according to HRCP.
In 2019, an 11-year-old girl named Neelum and a 13-year-old girl named Pari were found in horrendous conditions after it was discovered that they are living in thin and termite-infested mattresses and both are malnourished from eating only leftovers. Their employers from Karachi had been charged.
In January 2019, Uzma Bibi, a 16-year-old maid, was tortured and murdered by her employer from Lahore, Pakistan after eating a piece of meat. After her case went viral on Twitter, three people were arrested and charged for her murder.
Despite the constant public outrage over child abuse and child labor cases, human rights activists say that the problem is only getting worse. According to Ume Laila, the executive director of rights group HomeNet Pakistan, children are employed in the country with no protection. What is needed is awareness and actions towards change.
Child rights activist Fazela Gulrez said that there is no amount of support on social media that can translate to positive results in the country. The outrage and reaction of the public may be intense but it is only temporary. What needs to be done is to pass a law that will protect children.
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