{"id":7941,"date":"2019-08-13T02:06:28","date_gmt":"2019-08-13T09:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=7941"},"modified":"2019-08-13T02:06:28","modified_gmt":"2019-08-13T09:06:28","slug":"it-has-altered-me-forever-trauma-of-child-domestic-workers-in-pakistan-the-guardian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=7941","title":{"rendered":"“‘It has altered me forever’: trauma of child domestic workers in Pakistan”, The Guardian"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saba Karim Khan, London, 13 Aug 2019<\/p>\n

Despite shocking reports of abuse and a social media outcry, there is little sign of stricter laws to protect children <\/em><\/p>\n

E<\/span><\/span>ach night, after a 12-hour shift of domestic drudgery, Neelum, 11, and Pari, 13, leave their employer\u2019s million-dollar mansion with its manicured lawns in Karachi\u2019s glitzy Defence neighbourhood, and return to their servant lodgings. There they sleep on thin, termite-infested mattresses, under-nourished from their diet of leftovers.<\/p>\n

Behind the glistening glass doors of the country\u2019s most opulent neighbourhood, thousands of children work as maids and servants. Across Pakistan, an estimated 264,000 children are employed in such work, and claims of abuse by employers are commonplace. In January, 16-year-old maid Uzma Bibi was allegedly tortured and murdered by her employer in Lahore for helping herself to a small piece of meat. After tweets about her case went viral under the hashtag #justiceforUzma<\/a>, three people, including her employer, were arrested and are now in custody awaiting trial.<\/p>\n

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There was similar social media outcry in 2018 over pictures of 10-year-old Tayyaba<\/a>\u2019s bruised face and hands. She had been working as a maid for a judge and his wife. The couple were cleared of assault allegations but convicted of neglecting an injured child and sentenced to one year in jail.<\/p>\n

Yet despite this rising tide of public outrage, activists say the problem is only intensifying. \u201cThe situation is actually getting worse,\u201d says Ume Laila, executive director of rights group HomeNet Pakistan. \u201cChildren are employed with no protection and unless there is a holistic legal framework for the protection of domestic workers, the situation won\u2019t improve. Awareness and practical actions are required.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo amount of outpouring of support on social media on an issue of this kind translates into any far-reaching positive results in Pakistan,\u201d says child rights activist Fazela Gulrez. \u201cThe most that happens is a law is passed with much fanfare, which looks very pretty in the state reports presented in the UN or other platforms but changes nothing on the ground. The immediate reaction could be intense but remains temporary. So, in reality, nothing has changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Read More:\u00a0The living hell of young girls enslaved in Bangladesh’s brothels<\/a>)<\/p>\n