Daily Times

ISAMABAD: A six-member medical board of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has concluded its report regarding a housemaid torture case and by proving that she had “contact burns” on the skin. A six-member board was constituted by the PIMS administration under the chairmanship of Tanveer Khaliq, Surgical Department Head of the PIMS. According to the report, copy of which is available with Daily Times, the housemaid Saima Perveen was tortured and her hair were clipped.

“Saima’s hair were clipped irregularly to the length of 5-7 cm”, reads the report. It further added that a 2*2.5cm wound with crust involving the superficial part of the skin (partial thickness burn) were most probably contact burns on the back side of the lower neck”, added the report. The report says that the board thoroughly examined the victim. It said that the victim Saima was psychologically examined and found well oriented in time, space and as a person.

According to the information available, an 11- year old girl was recovered by the police on Friday from a house located in Sector E-11. The police reached the house when they were called in by a neighbour. The child maid told the police that her employer Almas, with her son, daughter and their servant had been torturing her for the last many months. She further alleged that on March 16, Imtiaz Gull (servant) burnt both her shoulders and left arm with a heated knife and they all of them even beat her.

After the incident, the girl was brought to the PIMS for her medical treatment. She was under medical examination. The city administration came into action and ordered the PIMS management for the constitution of an impartial examination board to probe into the matter. This was the second incident of a minor housemaid’s torture. Few months ago a minor girl had been tortured by the spouse of a judge in Islamabad.

It is pertinent to mention here that there are not relevant laws to punish offenders involved in such crimes due to which they usually feel themselves free while committing such kind of crimes. The ICT Child Protection Bill 2016 is pending before the parliament for legislation. After its legislation, the child protection officers will be appointed under the law who will have the legal right to take all the vulnerable children, working under domestic child labour or in a factory; into their custody.

The victim Saima belongs to Rahimyar Khan, brought here by her employer Almas’s sister Bushra. Initially in 2006, Bushra left her in a house in Kharian for housework. Saima had served there for a long then shifted to Islamabad.