Pakistani boxer Amir Khan and wife Faryal Makhdoom have stepped in to support the family of child abuse victim Zohra Shah. The employers had beaten Zohra to death in Islamabad.
Amir Khan vows to support family of Zohra Shah
In an Instagram Story, Faryal Makhdoom revealed that they have decided to support the child’s family. Makhdoom revealed that they are in contact with the Zohra’s father and have assured them none of his other children will have to work for money.
“Amir and I have personally contacted Zohra’s father and hoping to speak to him shortly. Thank you to everyone… especially the lawyers, barristers, and human rights activists who are supporting us,” she wrote in her Instagram story.
https://t.co/YkGEu2IYz7 #ZohraShah pic.twitter.com/AVTQoJl1nQ
— Faryal Makhdoom (@FaryalxMakhdoom) June 7, 2020
However, Makhdoom confronted questions from her family who asked her why the family put the little child to work. She then reported the other side of the story.
She said that the parents of Zohra Shah did not send her to Islamabad for domestic work.
“The father has told us he has 6 kids. The father sent the daughter (Zohra Shah) to Islamabad with her Khala (aunty) to study there. The khala then put Zohra Shah to work. Where she was beaten to death,” said Faryal Makhdoom.
https://youtu.be/CadnNpcBfzk
Read more: Amir Khan announces generous donation of Rs.40 million for Pakistan
“I am sending a member of the @amirkhanfoundation tomorrow to visit Zohra Shah’s father’s home, give our donations. We will take responsibility [for] the family… schooling the children & providing their needs,” Faryal added. The couple has thus far, amassed £13,769 of donations for Zohra’s family.
Amir Khan, Faryal Makhdoom sets Child support fund
The couple has also decided to set up a child protection fund in remembrance of Zohra Shah. The task of the fund will be to protect children in Pakistan from any kind of abuse.
Faryal Makhdoom put up the link of the JustGiving page they have set up to support the family of Zohra Shah.
To support this cause with us click on https://t.co/sVP0jol0k2
— Amir Khan (@amirkingkhan) June 8, 2020
The page reads: ‘In memory of Zohra, and the countless others subjected to child abuse and torture, The Amir Khan Foundation is launching the Zohra Shah Child Protection Fund to protect innocent children from human rights violations across Pakistan.’
Read more: Amir Khan feeds 12,000 families in Pakistan amidst lockdown
7-year-old maid killed in Pakistan
A Pakistan couple has been arrested for allegedly murdering their seven-year-old maid after she was blamed for letting a pet bird escape, police said, the latest case of violence against child domestic workers in the country.
Hassan Siddiqui and his wife employed Zohra Bibi at their home in a middle-class suburb of Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad, to care for their son of a similar same age.
Siddiqui and his wife subjected the poor girl to torture. They accused Zohra of freeing one of the four pet Macao parrots, informed investigating officer Mukhtar Ahmad.
“Siddiqui kicked her in the lower abdomen which proved fatal.” According to the police, the suspect admitted that he and his wife had beaten Zahra after she let his “expensive pet parrots escape from their cage”.
The couple took Zohra to the hospital but she died the following day. Hence, the hospital staff reported the incident to the police.
Read more: 7 year old maid killed in Pakistan: employers arrested
The young girl’s body was handed over to her parents, who live in Muzaffargarh, near the city of Multan, more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) away from where she was working. The brutal case of Zohra Shah resurfaced the plight of child abuse and child labor in Pakistan. The netizen demanded justice for Zohra Shah under the Twitter trend, #JusticeForZohraShah.