Masters Break Backbone Of 12-Year-Old Maid

From the Daily Times (Pakistan):

ISLAMABAD: Driven by extreme poverty in their hometowns, thousands of poor housemaids moving from one city to another in order to support their families consequently fall victims to abuse and violence.

A 12-year old Tehmina Qasim from Rahim Yar Khan is one such victim of violence. Presently admitted to the Surgical Ward III of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) with a broken backbone, she was thrashed by her masters due to which, she fell off second floor of the house.

Tehmina, a skinny girl, who has been working for Najeebul Islam and his wife Rakhshinda at Bahria Town phase IV, for the last eight months. She has been counseled bed rest for six months. Doctors seem uncertain whether she would be able to walk again. “However, the treatment is on,” they added.

The investigation carried out by Daily Times revealed that Tehmina and Samina, two sisters from Mohalla Basti Gumband Khan, Tehsil Khanpur, District Rahim Yar Khan, working as maids, were cruelly treated by their masters, who even denied them their salaries for a considerable period of time.

As Ramazan started, both sisters talked to their masters about the salaries that had not been paid to them for the last three months. They said their parents were anxiously waiting for the money back in Rahim Yar Khan.

Upon this, first Rakhshinda thrashed Tehmina and later Islam beat her up and threw her out of the window down onto the floor. She was taken to the PIMS with a fractured backbone.

Talking to Daily Times, Samina Qasim, sister of Tehmina Qasim said that both Najeeb and Rakhshinda forced us to work whole day and refused to give salaries whenever we demanded. “We were forced to work without sufficient meals. Whenever we wanted to talk to our parents in Rahim Yar Khan, they would not permit us,” Samina told.

She said last month without informing our masters, we phoned our parents and informed them about the atrocious behaviour of both husband and wife. “Najeeb watched us doing that and beat both of us with a stick, a viper and fists. So much so that Tehmina went into a state of unconsciousness,” she added. “Both of them thought that Tehmina was dead so they decided to threw her out of the window from the second floor and labeled it as a suicide,” Samina revealed.

“We were first were taken by Rakhshinda and Najeeb to a private hospital and then to PIMS. “While in PIMS emergency ward, everyday a person would come to us and tell us not to leak anything about the incident. Your masters are influential persons. If you share anything about this you will have to face dire consequences,” Samina explained.

Ghulam Qasim, father of Tehmina, told Daily Times that he reached Islamabad when contacted by Samina who asked him to rush to Islamabad. “Both my daughters worked diligently at Najeeb’s house. They were refused to go on leave in Ramazan and also denied salaries for the last three months,” he added.

Qasim said it was tragic that FIR had been lodged in Koral police station, but the culprits had not been arrested so far. “I have heard that both husband and wife either fled or are hiding in the house,” he added.

He demanded immediate arrest of culprits and also requested the authorities to give him and his family protection, as they were up against influential persons.