A representational image of a person resisting torture. — Geo.tv/Illustration/File
In a tragic incident that has reignited concerns over the safety of domestic helpers, a 13-year-old house help, Samia, has died under suspicious circumstances in Rahim Yar Khan.
Police have arrested a man and his wife suspected to be responsible for the alleged torture that led to the girl’s death in the city’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal area.
According to District Police Officer Irfan Samo, the victim, a resident of Kotla Pathan, was employed as a domestic helper at the residence of a man named Shahram for three years.
Disturbing details have emerged about Samia’s death, with authorities indicating that she succumbed to violence inflicted by her employers.
In an attempt to conceal the crime, Samia’s mother was informed of her daughter’s “sudden death” and was given the body wrapped in a shroud late at night.
Upon returning home, the mother discovered severe signs of torture on Samia’s body and promptly alerted the police, leading to a swift investigation into the matter.
DPO Samo confirmed that law enforcement conducted a timely raid, apprehending the suspected couple who had attempted to flee.
The girl’s body has since been handed over to her family following a post-mortem examination. Initial medical findings revealed evidence of severe violence inflicted upon the girl on her entire body, further solidifying the allegations of torture.
Police investigations are ongoing while the incident sparked outrage and once again brought to the forefront the critical issue of child domestic labour and the urgent need for robust protections for vulnerable children.
This incident adds to a troubling trend of both physical and sexual abuse and exploitation involving child domestic workers, who bear the brunt of working to fulfil their families’ needs amid an economic stretch.
Last year, a 12-year-old house help, Ayesha, was allegedly beaten to death by her employers in Village 84 South, a suburb of Sargodha, where the minor domestic worker was employed by a feudal named Jawad Bhatti.
The law enforcers said that Bhatti and his wife allegedly struck the child with iron rods and sticks.
In another harrowing case that surfaced in 2023, a 14-year-old girl, Rizwana, was brutally tortured by Civil Judge Asim Hafeez’s wife Somia Asim while being employed as a domestic help at their home.
