Killing of Zohra Shah
Zohra Shah | |
|---|---|
| زہرہ شاہ | |
| Born | 24 March 2012 |
| Died | 1 June 2020 (aged 8) |
| Cause of death | Beating |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Known for | Crime victim |
Zohra Shah (Urdu: زہرہ شاہ) was an eight-year-old Pakistani domestic worker (or slave) of a married couple, Hassan Siddiqui and Umme Kulsoom.[1] She was tortured and killed for mistakenly releasing her employers’ parrots in Bahria Town, Rawalpindi on 1 June 2020.[2][3][4] Her death caused an outcry in Pakistan and led to legislative changes which outlawed child domestic labour in the country.[5]
Early life[change | change source]
She was from Basti Maso Shah in Muzaffargarh District of southern Punjab approximately 580 kilometres from the capital, Islamabad.
Murder[change | change source]
Allegedly, she was murdered for releasing valuable parrots from their cages.[6] Evidence such as 'older scars and marks'[1] suggest Shah had been repeatedly abused while working for Siddiqui and Kulsoom, and 'wounds on her thighs' were 'consistent with sexual assault'.[1]
Aftermath[change | change source]
Siddiqui and Kulsoom were arrested and put on judicial remand.[1]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Xari Jalil (12 June 2020). "Pakistan: 8-Year-Old Zohra Shah, a Caged Soul Killed for Setting Birds Free". The Wire. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ↑ "Pakistan: Seven-year-old domestic worker beaten to death for freeing birds, tweeps demand #JusticeForZohraShah". Gulf News. 3 June 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ↑ Tribune, EMEA (5 June 2020). "Zohra Shah 8 Years old Minor Girl Killed For Releasing Parrots from Cage". EMEA Tribune. Archived from the original on 2020-10-05. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
- ↑ "Zohra Shah: Pakistani girl, 8, killed after freeing expensive parrots from cage". The National (Abu Dhabi). 3 June 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ↑ Jamal, Sana (5 August 2020). "Islamabad: Child domestic labour banned following outrage over murder of eight-year-old Zohra Shah". Gulf News. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ↑ "'We need justice': Zohra Shah's family breaks silence over murder of girl, 8". The National (Abu Dhabi). 9 June 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
