Pointing to the case of the 13-year-old girl, who was brutally tortured over a sustained period, allegedly at the hands of her employers, the rights body said that such cases are being reported with alarming regularity and that it should prompt a call to action by the civil society.
"It is not only the extent of violence that the girl has borne that is reprehensible," a statement from HRCP stated.
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The rights body pointed out that the girl had been employed in contravention of a Supreme Court judgment prohibiting the employment of domestic workers under 16 years of age.
The irony that her employers were a civil judge and his wife should be lost on no one
"The irony that her employers were a civil judge and his wife should be lost on no one."
The HRCP also noted that the FIR lodged against the employers was not robust and that the accused was granted protective bail in all likelihood because of her influence, which reflects "a system that is rigged invariably against the most vulnerable."
"Regrettably, the society has normalised not only the employment of minors but also their ill-treatment, whether in homes, schools or workplaces," it said, adding that data shows children are seen as easy targets, punching bags and prey.
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HRCP reminded the government that the Convention on the Rights of the Child — to which Pakistan is a signatory — is a commitment to protect children against all forms of violence in the public and private spheres.
"The state must prevent and respond to all forms of neglect, abuse, exploitation and violence against children," it said, adding, "If it is not to fail children such as the teenaged maid — as it has failed numerous other children like her before — the state must also adopt and implement a national strategy to prevent and protect children from violence, and apply judicial systems that pursue the best interests of the child."
Meanwhile, doctors treating the teenaged maid at the General Hospital in Lahore have termed the next 48 hours as critical.
The teenager, who had been severely beaten and was recovered in an emaciated state, has been fighting for her life in hospital. Postgraduate Medical College Principal Professor Fareed Zafar told the media that she was better until yesterday but suddenly on Monday morning, her condition deteriorated.
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He said that they had to administer supplemental oxygen to her while her heart beat increased. He added that a bronchoscopy had shown that one of her lungs was suffering from an infection while the other was afflicted with a blood clot.
The child's father has suspected that she was fed poison and tests have been conducted for the purpose.