A Pakistani couple appeared in court on Thursday, accused of having murdered a 13 -year -old maid, Iqra, who would have been beaten with a rollling for having allegedly stolen chocolate. IQRA was emergency to Rawalpindi hospital in critical condition on Tuesday and later died of serious injuries.
According to Rawalpindi police spokesperson Sajjad Ul Hassan, the couple, Rashid Shafiq and his wife Sana, were accused of murder and pre-trial detention for four days for an investigation.
The spokesperson revealed that the child had several fractures, including his legs, arms and heads, and that the abuses would have been due to missing chocolate.
Iqra’s father, Sanaullah, a resident of a rural village in Punjab, revealed that his daughter has been working with the couple for 22 months, during which they only paid 8,000 rupees ($ 28) per month. “The animals tortured my daughter in a way that no human could never do,” he said. “I ask for justice for this brutality.”
In a case similar to Rawalpindi in 2020, a couple was arrested for allegedly assassinated his seven -year -old maid, who was blamed for allowing a company bird to escape.
Children’s work remains widespread in Pakistan, the International Organization for Work Organization (ILO) reporting in 2022 that a household in four employed a child in domestic work, especially girls from 10 to 14 years old.
Although it is illegal to employ children under the age of 15, economic difficulties often force poor families to send their young daughters to work.
