11-year-old domestic worker subjected to brutal torture in Rawalpindi

ISLAMABAD: An 11-year-old domestic worker was subjected to brutal torture in Rawalpindi, it emerged Saturday, after a video of her was widely shared on social media.

The owners of the house would beat Kenza Bashir with a waist belt and rope, it emerged in the video of the survivor shared on social media. They would neither provide her food nor allow the minor to sleep.

The child was taken back to her native town of Samundari by her father.

The CCPO Rawalpindi has taken notice of the incident and suspended an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) over flawed investigation.

Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari took to Twitter to share the details of the case.

"We will be following it to ensure FIR registration and further action. Child is Kenza Bashir. Her father initially denied violence happened. Now an ASI has been suspended for wrong investigation," Mazari said in her tweet.

"A police team has been sent to Samundri to bring back the child and her parents. After medical examination an FIR will be registered," the minister stated further.

"Army has also been informed as the suspect is an Army doctor. We are keeping a close eye to ensure justice for the little girl."

Mazari's response came after a number of Twitter users tagged her in the video and images of the minor girl, and demanded action over it.

The minister had earlier said on Twitter that they were working on the case since Saturday morning.

"To reiterate to all those tagging me in their tweets on this horrendous crime, since morning we are on it," she had said.

Meanwhile, efforts to settle the matter also came to the fore after surfacing of an affidavit by the victim's father.

It was stated in the affidavit that the minor girl was injured while jumping over the gate and that she has been willingly taken to her native town.

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), Pakistan is among countries with a high prevalence of child labour.

ILO estimates indicate that 5.7 million Pakistani children between the ages of 10 and 17 years—almost 20% of all children in the age group—are labourers.

More than two-thirds of Pakistani child labourers are engaged within the agricultural sector, while a similar proportion are in unpaid family work.

Article 11 (3) of the Constitution prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 years in any factory or mine or any other hazardous employment.

Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari says the government is in the process of “drafting a comprehensive bill for protection of domestic workers…including banning child workers".