SC direction: For now, T* gets chance to be a child

She was moved to an orphanage where other children welcomed her with open arms

As T* stepped off a van at Pakistan Sweet Homes, she started crying.

She held her father tightly, her eyes pleading for him not to leave her alone again.

The 10-year-old was under stress and scared of being shifted to a new place. The staff at the state-run orphanage and shelter offered her various toys to cheer her up, but they did not work. Tears never left her bruised face.

Later, many children at the Pakistan Sweet Homes surrounded her. They tried, unsuccessfully, to cheer her up.

They may not have known why, but they could feel that the teary-eyed little girl needed friends.



Her father let her go. Even though it took the intervention of the highest court in the land, she is safe, for now, in a secure place where she will get good food, a loving environment and chance to do something every free person takes for granted – to be a child.

While talking to The Express Tribune, human rights activist Dr Farzana Bari said, “A major reason she is traumatised is frequent exposure to TV cameras and being surrounded by the police.”

She said it is unfortunate that in Pakistan, no one is trained to handle such minor victims of physical torture and trauma.

Minor victims are very sensitive and there is a need to understand the trauma they experienced at such a young age, said Dr Bari.

She further expressed concern over the way policemen held her by the hand her hand while taking her in-and-out of court through a sea of cameras.

“She is too young to understand all this. Even adults feel anxious when surrounded by police, lawyers, and media, all while visiting courts,” she said.

Meanwhile talking to The Express Tribune, an official from the Ministry of Human Rights said on the condition of anonymity, “ Before covering T*’s  case the media should also consider her future. She may bear the consequences of this [coverage] in her future.”

The official noted that people were still sharing her name and pictures on social media, including some which could be construed as embarrassing or insulting for the child when she is older.

Internal trafficking

T*’s case seems to be one that involves internal child trafficking, which is a factor that needs to be thoroughly explored to identify possible perpetrators involved in trafficking children and selling them into a life of slavery, according to a statement issued by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC).

SPARC is urging lawmakers to ensure the rights of domestic workers and completely ban domestic child labour by enacting the relevant laws.

SPARC also said that it appreciates the decision of the Supreme Court to allow the Women Crisis Centre to provide psychological care to T*, which is imperative under the circumstances.

It adds that while sending the child to Sweet Homes seems like an appropriate decision under the circumstances, all necessary steps should be taken to ensure that she receives an environment where she is given the best care and is not subjected to coercion, as the case relies heavily on her statement.

*Name changed to protect identity 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2017.