Child maid allegedly tortured by employer in Lahore

The victim refused to stay with her mother saying she would prefer living at the shelter home

LAHORE:  

An 11-year-old girl who worked as a domestic helper was allegedly tortured by her employer in Lahore on Sunday.

Sumera had been working at the house of a man named Ejaz in China Scheme, Gujjarpura for the past four years. On the day of the incident, Ejaz's wife Hina tortured the girl. "She beat me with sticks and also burnt my body with a hot iron. I managed to escape from the house and started crying for help. The neighbours spotted me and informed the police," she said, adding that she feared Hina Baji would kill her.

Later, a police team reached the spot and took the victim into their custody. They also recorded the statements of eye-witnesses.

The case was also brought to the attention of the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB). The bureau took custody of the victim and also registered a case against Ejaz and his wife, Hina.

Police have arrested the suspects.

The child in question is a resident of Faizpur, Sharaqpur Road. Her father passed away a few years ago and she has five siblings. She said that she had been working at Ejaz's house and his wife used to beat her up over minor issues with iron rods and also subjected her to severe torture.

When asked if she wanted to go and live with her mother, the victim refused saying that she would prefer staying at the bureau.

This is not the first incident of a child maid being tortured. In July 2017, a 16-year-old boy, Akhtar, who worked as a domestic helper at the house of former Member of the Punjab Assembly Shahjahan along with his 11-year-old sister Atiya, was physically tortured. The former MPA's daughter Fauzia asked Akhtar to go and buy some utensils from the market. He returned a little late than anticipated which enraged her. She started beating the boy and his sister with a club. The boy suffered severe injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital from where he was discharged after being treated. Later, his condition deteriorated and the victim died. The post-mortem report revealed that he had died due to internal injuries he had sustained. He had received at least 16 injuries on his body according to the report.

In January 2017, two minor children, a brother and a sister identified as Iqra and Zaman, were subjected to torture by their employer in Hanjarwal when they sought permission to meet their parents. The family retaliated by shaving the head of the victims.

In another case, a minor victim identified as Sawera, died after being left crippled for eight months. The victim was not only tortured by her employers but also thrown down the stairs. The incident had left her crippled. The child also sustained other injuries before she died eight months later.