Pakistan: 14-year-old domestic help at judge's house tortured, hospitalised

Punjab [Pakistan]: A man was arrested for sending a 14-year-old girl to a judge's house as a domestic help where she was allegedly tortured by the judge's wife, Geo News reported.

The domestic help was allegedly tortured at civil judge Asim Hafeez's home, the report stated, adding that his wife, too, tormented her. The alleged incident took place in Pakistan's Sargodha.

The Superintendent of Police, Sargodha, confirmed that the person, identified as Mukhtar, who sent the minor to the judge's house for the job, was arrested, adding that action will be taken as per the law, Geo News reported.

Further, the minor's parents told Geo News that they consented to sending their daughter to the judge’s residence as a maid seven months ago, on the advice of Mukhtar.

According to the report, the minor's parents alleged that the judge's wife would torture her and that there were torture marks all over her body.

The judge's wife accused the girl of stealing jewellery and beat her up with a bat, the victim's parents added, according to Geo News.

However, the judge contested the claim saying that his wife did inform him of the matter on finding her jewellery but did not accuse the minor of theft.

The parents said further that as their daughter's condition took a turn for the worse, the judge's wife dropped her off at her home in Sargodha in a 'critical condition', the report stated.

Thereafter. according to the report, the parents took the minor to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) in Sargodha and later shifted her to the General Hospital in Lahore as her condition worsened.

Further, according to the hospital authorities, the girl was being treated for a head injury, Geo News reported, adding that initial medical reports confirmed that the child sustained 15  injuries.

Kamran Faisal, District Police Officer (DPO), Sargodha said according to the initial medical report, the child has 15 injuries, including on the head. He added that apart from these injuries, some internal organs of the child were also affected, Geo News reported.

"Maggots infested her wounds as she did not receive medical help on time," the DPO was quoted by GEO News as saying.

Further, a spokesperson for Islamabad Police said they did not receive any request for action in the matter, adding that an investigation will be launched as soon as they receive a formal complaint, reported Geo News.

Civil Judge Asim Hafeez from Islamabad’s Federal Judicial Academy admitted to hiring the 14-year-old as a domestic help, adding that she had been working at his residence since December last year, the report stated.

He claimed that the girl had “eaten sand” from one of the plant pots at their residence because of which her skin was “damaged”, Geo News reported.

The judge added that he got the girl treated by a doctor in Gujranwala, reported Geo News.
Further, the judge claimed that when they told the girl they would be dropping off her back at her home, she banged her head on a wall, injuring herself, the report stated further.

The judge observed, “The girl used to take scarf on her head and never complained about the injury on her head.

I am against physical abuse and torture incidents never happened in front of me", adding that his wife complained that the girl was not working because of which she asked to be dropped off at her home, Geo News reported.

The judge claimed that the girl told them that she feared going home as her parents would beat her up, reported Geo News.