13-Year-Old Iqra Dies from Multiple Injuries
"#JusticeforIqra"... Public Outrage Erupts
A couple was arrested for killing a teenage housemaid in Pakistan on the grounds that she stole chocolate.
This is an image of a meeting of the Punjab Police in Pakistan and is unrelated to the article content. Punjab Police Department SNS account.
According to a recent BBC report, 13-year-old Iqra, who worked at a household in Rawalpindi, Punjab province in the northeast, died on the 5th from multiple injuries.
Police investigations revealed signs of torture on the deceased. An autopsy is being conducted for an accurate assessment, and the final medical report is awaited.
Punjab, where Iqra lived, prohibits the employment of children under 15 as domestic workers, but Iqra started working as a housemaid at the age of 8 due to her father's debt. For the past two years, she had been working at the home of this couple with eight children. Iqra's monthly salary was $23 (about 32,000 KRW).
Iqra's father, Sana Ullah, told BBC, "Iqra's death has completely shattered me. On the 5th, I received a call from the police about Iqra, and when I rushed to the hospital, I saw her unconscious lying on a bed. The child died a few minutes later."
The incident has sparked outrage across Pakistan. On social media platforms, posts tagged with the hashtag '#JusticeforIqra' are being shared. Debates about child labor and abuse of domestic workers are also spreading.
Pakistani human rights activist Sher Bano said, "My heart is bleeding tears of blood," and raised her voice, asking, "How many people must suffer violence over trivial matters? How long must poor people continue to lose their daughters like this?"
Rashid Shafiq and his wife Sana, who employed Iqra, were arrested along with a female Quran teacher who worked for the family. This Quran teacher brought Iqra to the hospital and, after saying, "Iqra's father is deceased, and her mother is not around," left the hospital.
Iqra's father hopes the perpetrators will be punished. However, it is rare for suspects to be prosecuted locally. BBC reported, "Despite public outrage, such cases are often resolved through settlements rather than courts. Pakistani law states that even for serious crimes, if the victim's family forgives the suspects, they cannot be punished. Forgiveness is mostly achieved through financial compensation, and paying money to victims is not illegal."
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