Child abuse: ‘Bring Rs300 daily, otherwise don’t come home’

Three minors were found in a garbage dump in Orangi Town

KARACHI: "Ammi says, come home every day with Rs300 otherwise no need to come home." These were the words of the three minor boys, two of whom are brothers, who were found sleeping on a garbage dump in Orangi Town.

The three minors - eight-year-old Zubair, his seven-year-old younger brother, Fahir, and eight-year-old Siddiq - were found sleeping on a garbage dump in Fareed Colony area of the Orangi Town on Friday. "I found them sleeping in the garbage dump," said a resident, Shumal. "I took them to my home where I provided them food."

Shumal said that the children stayed at his house for a whole night and then he started searching for their families. However, he could not trace their families.



"Finally I decided to get help from the police and I took them to the Muhammadpur police post and told them the entire story," he explained.

The children belonging to Pashtun-speaking families revealed that their mother had instructed them to bring home money every day. One child claimed that the mother told them not to come home if they did not have the money.

"We are beggars and Ammi says, come home every day with Rs300, otherwise no need to come home," narrated the children.

"As we could not earn the Rs300, we decided to stay away from the houses due to fear of being beaten up by the families."



The police have taken them into protective custody and claimed that they have managed to trace the family of the two brothers. "Finally, with the hectic efforts of a day, I managed to trace the family of two of them," said Muhammadpur police post incharge Imran Gujjar.

"Action will also be taken against their parents according to the law but our first priority is to trace the families and hand them [the children] over." The officer said that the family of the third child, Siddiq, will also be traced soon.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 10^th, 2016.