Fact Sheet: Child Domestic Workers: How you can help children instead of employing them in your homes?

[Zehra Kamal]

Dear Colleagues,

As committed a week back, I have developed a fact sheet on some commonly held beliefs and misunderstandings regarding child domestic workers. 

The idea behind the fact sheet is that since many people are actively talking about the issue of child domestic workers more so now in the wake of Tayyaba's case that we circulate some information for the lay people, in terms of countering the arguments often presented by those who employ children. 

I have developed it for all of us to circulate widely and want to thank Dr. Ambreen Ahmad, Valerie and Arshad Mahmood for their feedback and additions  on the draft and Dr. Rakhsanda Parveen for her initial suggestions when I proposed this. 

Alishba, I have mentioned Child Rights Movement as the author so that we all can use it either by putting on our websites, or making it into a flyer, on social media etc. so I hope there would be no issue with that.

Regards

Zehra 

On Wed, Jan 4, 2017 at 6:51 PM, Tahira Abdullah <tabdul...@hotmail.com> wrote:

Thank you very much Alishba and all the colleagues who have responded SO PROMPTLY & POSITIVELY re. statement! 

Greatly appreciated....

My sincerest request to the CRM is to kindly postpone the demo from Saturday to Monday afternoon - 3 p.m. at F-6 markaz junction - as we know from our long experience, that CSOs, networks, orgs, activists do not show up in large numbers on weekends ...

And now that the original case is "over" and civil society's petition is yet to be filed in the SCP, where is the rush & urgency for the demo?

please urgently reconsider. 

thanks & regards,

TA

---

From: Child Rights Movement <childrigh...@gmail.com>
Sent: 04 January 2017 18:28
To: Tahira Abdullah
Cc: Valerie Khan-o; Valerie Khan-1; arifamzhr; Mohammad Khan-ASF; Noor-ul-Islam-o; PRHN-g; PRHN Islamabad; PRHN National Secretriat; Rabeea Shah; Fatima Atif-p; Haseeb Khawaja; Dr. Rakhshinda Perveen-p; IHI; Shazia Shaheen; NHN-Pakistan; Naseer Memon; Noor-ul-Islam-p; Yasmin Zaidi; Nasreen Azhar; CDD HRCP; PCSW KP; Rukhshanda Naz; Jillani; SPARC-ED; ED-Sahil; Zia A. Awan-p; Chaudhry Shafique-2
Subject: Re: URGENT draft statement ref. Tayyaba torture case

 

Dear Ms. Tahira Abdullah,

Child Rights Movement (CRM ) and NACG along with all other Civil Society Networks endorsing this statement is going to have a protest near "Mr. Book", on Saturday at 02:00pm on 7th January, 2016.  What do you suggest should we also add it into the Press Release?

Best Regards,

Alishba Yousaf CRM Coordinator
National Secretariat, Islamabad

UGOOD | Head Office: House No. 594-B, Street No 29, Sector, G-10/2, Islamabad - Pakistan
Ph: +92 51 235 3041,  +92 51 235 3042 Fax +92 51 235 3040 Cell: +92 300 5000 774 

E-Mail in...@crm.com.pk | childrightsm...@gmail.com

Website: www.crm.com.pk 

CRM at Social Media: 

https://www.facebook.com/childrightsmovement;https://twitter.com/CRMPakistan; 

http://crmpak.blogspot.com

On Wed, Jan 4, 2017 at 5:52 PM, Tahira Abdullah <tabdul...@hotmail.com> wrote:

Dear all, as requested and discussed, here is the first draft of a civil society statement for your review, comments, modifications, endorsements.

Kindly urgently forward it to your groups and network lists for endorsements by:

individuals, organizations, networks, groups.

 

Thank you & regards,

Tahira Abdullah

_____________________________________________

CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVISTS, ORGANIZATIONS STRONGLY CONDEMN

SO-CALLED “RESOLUTION” OF ISLAMABAD ENSLAVED GIRL CHILD TORTURE CASE AND URGE SUO MOTO NOTICE BY SCP

 

Islamabad, 4 January 2017:  A large number of civil society activists and organizations have strongly condemned the torture of a minor girl employed by a serving judge and also the so-called “resolution” (sic) of the court case against the judge and his spouse.

 

This case has yet again highlighted the glaring ills of Pakistani society and its justice administration system.  We had not yet forgotten the Kasur children’s video atrocity when we are now confronted with a serving judge breaking several laws of the land – but walking away scot-free, after reaching a so-called “compromise” and “forgiveness” agreement with the girl child’s parents, through legal stamped affidavits.

 

The compromise and forgiveness loophole, so expeditiously exploited by the judge and his spouse, is a convenient tool, employed mostly against the poor and downtrodden by the rich and powerful in Pakistan, as in this case.

 

We particularly condemn the following illegal acts of commission and omission by individuals and by State organs in this case:

1. the grinding poverty which stripped the girl child’s parents of their inherent parental love and humanity towards their minor daughter; in addition to their responsibilities as her legal guardians;
2. the dishonourable serving judge, who knowingly employed a minor child for domestic labour, in contravention of the laws against child labour and employment;
3. the nature of the “domestic work” demonstrates that the girl child was “pledged” and left by her parents as “bonded labour” with the judge and his spouse, in contravention of Pakistani laws abolishing bonded labour;
4. the serving judge and his spouse brutally mistreated the girl child over a long period of time, including chronic starvation and frequent beating – finally torturing and burning her almost to death, in clear contravention of the Constitution and several Pakistani laws on child protection, as well as the UN CRC, and other UN Conventions to which Pakistan is a State Party;
5. the delayed response and subsequent inaction by the National Centre for Protection of Children (NCPC), Islamabad is indefensible;
6. the illegal, deliberate, mala fide acts of perjury committed at various stages of this case by: the serving judge and his spouse; the relevant police in Islamabad; and the initial examination report by the PIMS medico-legal staff, which came to the fore when the girl child was questioned in camera by the ICT Assistant Commissioner, who deserves commendation for her sensitive handling of this case;
7. the alleged acts of bribery, threat and pressure exerted on the parents by the serving judge to reach a compromise and retract their case;
8. the inhuman action of the state organs in returning the girl child to the same parents who sold her into forced/bonded domestic servitude in the first place – instead of placing her under State care and protection, and penalizing the parents;
9. the silence and inaction of both the subordinate and superior judiciary in this case is widely being perceived as a tacit act of standing in solidarity with a fellow-judge;
10. the media hype and sensationalization of this case (with a few notable exceptions) could serve as a deterrent to concrete positive action in future.

 

We stand in empathy and solidarity with the brave survivor girl child, and in support of Advocate Asma Jahangir’s intention to petition the Supreme Court of Pakistan.  We reiterate our longstanding demands that the laws on child protection and against domestic child labour be enacted at the federal and provincial levels, and strengthened in Punjab – along with their strict enforcement and implementation; that child protection bureaus be set up all over Pakistan – and strengthened in Punjab; that national and provincial policies be formulated for child protection and development – not to return recovered children back to their parents who pledge and sell them into modern day slavery (aka bonded labour); and that such recovered survivors be provided not just physical shelter and care, but also psychological rehabilitation to prevent them becoming life-long victims.

 

Above all, we hold serving judges to a much higher standard than anyone else in the land – they must uphold the Constitution, the law, morality and humanity in both their public and private lives. There must be no "forgiveness" and no "compromise" -- the State must become the girl child's guardian (wali) and complainant in the case. The SCP is respectfully requested to urgently take suo moto notice of this case.

[ends – 707]

Endorsed by civil society:

Advocates:

Activists:

Networks/groups

Organizations:

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Zehra Kamal

Consultant/Clinical Psychologist

[Zehra Kamal]

also attaching the word document in case you want to send any feedback in track.

Zehra 

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Zehra Kamal

Consultant/Clinical Psychologist

[Amjad Nazeer]

Thanks Zehra and Alishba for putting up a precise report that highlights all the key myths that child employers employ for the exploited children. I think what you call misunderstandings are in fact "self-proclaimed and truth-denying justifications". Otherwise, child employers know, what is wrong for their own children, is also wrong for others sons and daughters as well. Anyway, the report is an admirable begining to venture for an indepth provincial and national reports and then press for the required legislation. Best, 

Amjad Nazeer

Executive Director 

Institute of Development Research and Corresponding Capabilities (IDRAC)

engaged in policy research and capacity development

House # 17, Street # 51, G - 13/2

Islamabad

Land Line: ++92 (51) 2306852

www.idrac.org.pk

Zehra 

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Zehra Kamal

Consultant/Clinical Psychologist

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