ISLAMABAD: A 12-year-old domestic worker, allegedly subjected to severe torture by her employers, passed away at Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi.
The tragic incident took place in the Asghar Mall area within the jurisdiction of Banni Police Station. The victim, identified as Iqra, sustained critical injuries and was rushed to the hospital, where she succumbed to her wounds.
Police have arrested the primary suspects, Rashid Shafiq and his wife, Sana, who employed the child. A case has been registered against them on the complaint of Iqra’s father. The First Information Report (FIR) includes murder charges along with seven other sections of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
Iqra, originally from Mandi Bahauddin, had been employed as a domestic worker for a monthly salary of Rs8,000. Authorities revealed that the accused had previously misled officials by falsely claiming that the girl’s parents were deceased.
According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), there are an estimated 8.5 million domestic workers in Pakistan, the majority of whom are women and young girls. Despite its prevalence, domestic work remains unregistered and excluded from labour laws, as it is carried out in private households.
Many domestic workers endure unsafe working conditions with inadequate sanitation and safety measures. A 2022 ILO study highlighted that one in every four households in Pakistan employs a child in domestic work, with most of these children being girls aged 10 to 14 years.
