 "The accused allegedly subjected Iqra to brutal torture after their daughter accused her of stealing chocolate. Pixabay/Representational Image")
This incident has sparked widespread outrage and social media users have shared posts using the hashtag #JusticeforIqra.
A 13-year-old girl was employed as a maid at a couple’s home in Pakistan.
She was allegedly killed by the couple over accusations of stealing chocolates.
Initial police findings revealed that she had suffered severe torture before her death.
According to a 2022 report by the International Labour Organization, child labour in domestic work remains prevalent in Pakistan , with one in four households employing a child, mostly girls aged between 10 and 14.
Skull fractured, deprived of food, water: Torture over stealing chocolate
The girl, known only as Iqra, succumbed to multiple injuries in hospital last week.
Iqra started working as a maid at the age of eight. Her father, a 45-year-old farmer, said he had sent her to work due to financial debt.
Over the years, she was employed by different households before joining a couple’s home two years ago. The couple, who have eight children, employed her for the past 22 months, paying her father, Sana Ullah, 8,000 Pakistani rupees (Rs 2,500 INR) per month.
The accused, identified as Rashid Qureshi and his wife, allegedly subjected Iqra to brutal torture after their daughter accused her of stealing chocolate.
The thirteen-year-old was beaten and struck with a rolling pin typically used to prepare bread. Investigations further revealed that she had been tied up and deprived of food and water, Pakistan’s The Express Tribune reported.
“The victim had multiple fractures; legs, ankle, arms, head. All this happened due to a missing chocolate,” a Rawalpindi police spokesperson told AFP.
According to police, she had sustained a deep head wound and a fractured skull, which ultimately led to her death, according to the Pakistani daily.
“A case has been registered against Rashid Qureshi, his wife, and others involved in concealing the crime. The charges include murder, torture, and evidence tampering,” police confirmed.
Iqra’s death in Rawalpindi has triggered widespread outrage. The case has also opened debates about child labour and the exploitation of domestic workers.
Police say there is evidence of repeated mistreatment. Photos and videos reveal multiple fractures in her limbs, along with a severe head injury, BBC reported. An autopsy is underway to determine the full extent of her injuries.
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‘Completely shattered inside’: Iqra’s father
Iqra’s father, Sana Ullah, told AFP, “The beasts tortured my daughter in a way that no human could ever do.”
“I demand justice for this brutality.”
In an interview with the BBC, he said, “I felt completely shattered inside when she died.”
Notably, Iqra’s employers, Rashid Shafiq and his wife, have been arrested. Her father has demanded that “those responsible for my daughter’s death” face punishment.
Pakistan’s Chairperson of the Child Protection Bureau, Sarah Ahmad, has also taken notice of the case. She stated that the employers had subjected the child to abuse for nearly 12 days, with visible injuries on her body.
She assured that the Child Protection Bureau would take the child into protective custody and extend all necessary support.
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Pakistan’s crisis of child labour
In Pakistan , employing children under the age of 15 is illegal, yet it remains widespread. This is prevalent because struggling families often send their young daughters to work.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), around 3.3 million children in Pakistan are engaged in child labour. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) states that women and young girls make up the majority of the country’s 8.5 million domestic workers.
Domestic workers frequently face exploitation, violence, and sexual abuse, with Pakistan’s rigid social-class system and patriarchal norms leaving them without recourse. In the past, many parents have opted for out-of-court settlements, permitted under Islamic law, which allows a victim’s heirs to either demand retribution or accept financial compensation, also known as blood money, AFP reported.
Pakistani law grants victims and their families the right to forgive suspects in serious crimes by declaring in court that they pardon them “in the name of God.” However, legal experts say that such “forgiveness” is often financially motivated, and offering compensation to victims is not against the law, according to the BBC.
Despite media coverage of high-profile cases, prosecutions for the abuse of domestic workers remain rare, and offenders often face little or no punishment.
This is not the first time a case like this has occurred in Pakistan .
In 2020, a couple in the same city was arrested for allegedly killing their seven-year-old maid after blaming her for allowing a pet bird to escape.
7-year-old maid killed for letting pet bird escape
Hassan Siddiqui and his wife had employed Zohra Bibi in their Rawalpindi home, a middle-class suburb near Islamabad, to look after their son, who was the same age as her.
“The poor girl was subjected to torture by Siddiqui and his wife who accused her of freeing one of the four pet Macao parrots,” investigating officer Mukhtar Ahmad told AFP in 2020.
“Siddiqui kicked her in the lower abdomen which proved fatal.”
In 2018, a judge and his wife were sentenced to three years in prison for abusing their 10-year-old maid in a case that drew widespread outrage. However, their sentences were later reduced to one year.
Tayyaba was found with severe injuries, and the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science pointed out burns on her hands and feet.
Photographs also showed cuts and bruises on her face, along with a swollen left eye. She told prosecutors she had been beaten for misplacing a broom.
With inputs from agencies