Tragic Death of Child Maid Highlights Concerns Over Child Labour in Punjab
The tragic death of a child maid, Iqra, in Punjab has raised serious concerns about child labour practices and the abuse faced by domestic workers in the region.
Laws pertaining to child labour can vary across the country, but children under the age of 15 cannot be employed as domestic workers in the province of Punjab.
"I felt completely shattered inside when she died," Iqra's father, Sana Ullah, told the BBC.
He said that he had received a call from the police about Iqra last Wednesday. When he rushed to the hospital, he saw Iqra lying on a bed, unconscious. She passed away minutes later.
Iqra began working as a maid from the age of eight. Her father, a 45-year-old farmer, said he had sent her to work because he was in debt.
After working for a few employers, she went to work for the couple two years ago, who have eight children of their own. She was earning about £23 ($28) per month.
Police said Iqra had been accused of stealing chocolates from her employers, adding that a preliminary investigation showed that Iqra had been tortured.
Police also say there was evidence of frequent abuse. Pictures and videos obtained by the BBC showed multiple fractures in her legs and arms, as well as a serious injury to her head.
An autopsy is being conducted to assess the full extent of her injuries, and the police have told the BBC that they were still awaiting the final medical report.
"My heart cries tears of blood. How many... are subjected to violence in their homes every day for a trivial job of a few thousand?" activist Shehr Bano wrote on X. "How long will the poor continue to lower their daughters into graves in this way?"
Others have pointed out that her murder was allegedly triggered by something so minor.
"She died over chocolate?" asked one Pakistani user on X.
"This is not just a crime, it's a reflection of [a] system that enables [the] rich to treat [the] poor as disposable," another said.
Iqra's employers, Rashid Shafiq and his wife Sana, have been arrested, along with a Quran teacher, who worked for the family. The teacher had brought Iqra to the hospital and left after telling hospital staff that the girl's father had died and her mother was not around.
Police told the BBC it was unclear if she believed this to be the truth.
Iqra's father says he wants to see "those responsible for my daughter's death punished".
Despite the public outrage such cases usually garner, they are typically settled out of court and it's rare for suspects to be successfully prosecuted.
