Child work: Family protests ‘brutal killing’ of child maid

Protesters tried to break into the house to set it on fire.


Our Correspondent January 07, 2015
Peoples Colony Station House Officer Faryad Cheema told The Express Tribune that a complaint had been registered and team had been formed to investigate the case. PHOTO: FILE

FAISALABAD:


Scores of relatives protested the death of a child maid near Peoples Colony police station on Wednesday.


The protesters gathered outside the house where the girl had been employed and threw stones at the gate.

Some of them tried to break into the house to set it on fire. They also broke windows and damaged an entrance to the house.

Talking to newsmen, Rizwan Muhammad said his 10-year-old daughter Maria Rizwan had been working for Saheem Shah and Zaeem Shah in Shadman Colony. He said the men ran a restaurant near D-Ground”.



He said Maria had been working for over a year.

He said the girl had been beaten twice during her time working for the brothers. He said she had complained to her mother about it two weeks ago. “We went to the house and talked to Saheem about the situation,” he said. He said he took away Maria from the house.

“Later, Saheem called me and apologised,” he said. “He told me that Maria was like his own daughter and assured me that she would be safe working for him.”

He said he sent Maria back to work after Saheem apologised.

He said on Wednesday, he called them and told them that Maria had fallen from the stairs and had been critically injured.

He said a few minutes later, Saheem called again, saying she had died before getting any medical help. He said Saffiya, another maid at the house, saw Saheem beat Maria after she got late in giving him breakfast.

He said Safiyya fled from the house, called him and told him what had happened.

After the incident, Maria’s family reached the house and tried to break into the house.

Saheem managed to escape before they arrived.

Later, a police team arrived and pushed them away from the house.

The protesters also chanted slogans against police and demanded immediate arrest of those responsible.

Peoples Colony Station House Officer Faryad Cheema told The Express Tribune that a complaint had been registered and team had been formed to investigate the case.

He said the body had been sent to the mortuary of Allied Hospital for post mortem examination. He said further action would be taken once the medico-legal report was obtained.

He said the police team was conducting raids to find the brothers nominated in the complaint.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2014.

 

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