Behind the closed doors
By Saleem Khan • Jul 15th, 2008 • Category: Misc • 27 CommentsThe story that appeared recently of a ten-year-old maid in Lahore, who had been beaten so severely by her employers that visible scars were left on her body, is enough to give anyone sleepless nights. The child, rescued by the Child Welfare Protection Bureau (CWPB) officials, apparently after a tip-off from neighbours, stated she was beaten with rods or pipes, permitted to sleep barely four hours each night and punished by having boiling water thrown on her. She said all members of the family participated in this terrible game of torture. The girl was forced to work as her father had died. She was paid around Rs200 rupees a month for her day-long labours – and provided what amounted to mere scraps of food.
The maid is, in this case, fortunate to be rescued. A case has been registered against the head of the household. Yet it is known that in many households, domestic servants are treated with disdain and sometimes similar cruelty – particularly in the case of children unable to defend themselves. No labour laws apply to domestic workers and groups investigating their plight have noted the majority of female domestic workers face sexual harassment. There is clearly a need for intervention on an urgent basis. The CWPB is said to be working with UNICEF to devise a law that would lay down rules regarding working hours for domestic help and try and regulate conditions within the sector. This is an effort the government must facilitate and expedite, to save other employees the brutality that so often takes place behind the closed doors of homes across our country.
(Reference: Dawn news.)
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nice work ex friend.
Ex Friends???
very nice indeed, brother.
Very Touching. I have also got a related but more gory story like this to tell, and I will air it very soon.
Thanks indeed. Your appreciation is very much required to write more on such issues. Small small issues are making poor’s life like hell and we can often see results in term of Mobs on road, looting banks, putting offices on fire. Root cause is hatred we are sowing in the hearts of these poor people. Once they will get unite then middle class/rich class won’t find to save their life.
It is better to address such issues so we can rectify our actions and behave like a Human Being, as Islam tells us.
Thanks Aftab Bhai,
I wish to write lot lot lot on these social issues because by nature I’m very sensitive and can easily feel pains of these small children. Once I was walking in bazar of Rawalpindi. I found 2 small babies of 2 year and 3 year ( I will call them babies). They were sitting under small tree for shadow in hot weather. Both were having 3 day old half half roti. I stopped there and felt myself such a disgusting man indeed that I’m walking having thousands of rupees in pocket but a babies of my son age is sitting and eating old roti with water. I asked them to please not eat this and come with me. I took them to one hotel near there. Asked hotel owner to serve them best dish. He gave them but with hatred. I ordered that hotel guy that they are with me so you have to give them respect as they are your customers. They were eating lunch and tears were flowing from my eyes. Is this humanity that we are having millions and billions but we are unable to help needy people.
Come on Pakistanis. Help as much as you can. Try to stop your mothers and sisters and wives when she tries to beat servants. We are living in same society so it is must for us to safe guard these innocent people. It is not a duty of Government. Why we feels relax by putting all responsibility on Government. Is this some sort of lame excuse. Come on and help as much as you can.
I tell you my faith. I have promised with Allah that I will give 3% of my annual salary to poor people + Zakkat Amount each year. As I promised and started doing this, Allah started raising my salary. Today I am getting 6 times higher salary from the day I did promise with Allah. Allah may have selected me also to give poor share through my hands. It requires true faith and dedication only. Rest Allah do himself. Don’t assume that I’m sort of Mullah with long beard and high pants. I’m just a normal man as majority of Pakistanis are.
Saleem Khan, you are a very nice person. Jazaak Allah!
It is true, what we need to do is look beyond ourselves, come out of that shell we live in. What good is all what one has, after all at the end of the day you can’t eat more than what you do, or you can’t wear more than a suit of clothings. What makes my children more important than other children, in my view nothing. We must learn to say to ourselves - ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Believe me, we all have enough to share with other people, some of us can share a little more than the other, but all of us can share. How to do it?
Do you think that it will be against Islam, if I was to say that perhaps some of us should sacrifice by not going to perform “Haj” and use that money for such a cause? Do you think it will be against Islam, if I suggest that may be some of us should sacrifice their plan for “Qurbani” by not slaughtering / sacrificing an animal and use this money for such causes? In my view this will be Islamic if we use this to help our own fellow Pakistanis in such terrible condition of poverty and sufferings. PLEASE DO COMMENT.
THIS IS SACRIFICE :
A while back I read about a man named Zell Kravinsky. This guy a few years ago, when in his mid-40s, gave almost all of his $45 million real estate fortune to health-related charities, retaining only his modest family home in Jenkintown, near Philadelphia, and enough to meet his family’s ordinary expenses. After learning that thousands of people with failing kidneys die each year while waiting for a transplant, he contacted a Philadelphia hospital and donated one of his kidneys to a complete stranger.
He comes across as anguished by the failure of others to see the simple logic that lies behind his altruism. Kravinsky has a mathematical mind — a talent that obviously helped him in deciding what investments would prove profitable — and he says that the chances of dying as a result of donating a kidney are about 1 in 4,000. For him this implies that to withhold a kidney from someone who would otherwise die means valuing one’s own life at 4,000 times that of a stranger, a ratio Kravinsky considers “obscene.”
I know one thing ” Amaal ka daro madaar Neeat per hai”. If we are going to sacrifice one good deed for an other good deed then it is not sin at all. I often argues with most of people of this matter also that you people not offers Namaz whole life, You people not do fating whole life, you people not gives Zakat whole life but you people always tries to run for Hajj in a minute. Most of our old parents puts this burden on their children that you that to send me for Hajj at any cost. Reason in my view is only one. to show their neighbors and relatives that we went for Hajj. Nothing else. ( In majority of cases it is like this). That son sacrifices in terms of not providing good education, food, clothing to his children and giving respectable status to wife just because He has to send this old parents to Hajj. Same children becomes terrorists and robbers due to non availability of good education. Whole society is near to collapse just because of our customs and one thing ” Loog kia kahain gay”.
How many of Pakistanis do Qurbani for Allah? Majority do it for impressing neighbors and relatives. If you will observe, majority keeps same meat in their homes instead of giving it to poor people? This all is going on a DRAMA and nothing else.
Hum log puri zindagi aik sheel main guzar daitay hain. Na log khush ho patay hain aur na Allah ko razi ker patay hain. Allah ko hamari Qurbani ki zaroorat nahi hai. He simply see our inner and our neeat.
I’m sorry it is Fasting, not fating. (3rd line of my above comments.)
Saleem Bhai, there is no need for us or anyone to question any believers intents “Niyat” or whether or not he / she says his prayers or not and other responsibilities. What I am trying to say is simply this that instead of spending money on ‘Haj’ or ‘Qurbani’ a momin sacrifices that amount of money for a noble cause such as taking care of some of our children - of his / her own choice in any locality any neighborhood in our country. Things like feed them and educate them, just give som meaning to their lives, I am sure that Allah wil accept this sacrifice. We need to discuss a little more seriously with others and see we there is anything that can be done on these lines.
100% agreed with your point.The same I was trying to say that we must fulfill our other responsibilities before going for Hajj. I have seen many people who have done 4 or 5 hajj but if some poor boy will ask for a bread. they will kick them. Anyway there are lot of bitter experiences and we have learn from such experiences. Poor people no doubt are looking towards us. They are helpless and have no references.
Aftab and Saleem Bhai, interesting choice of topic here. This is a sensitive topic for me. I do hope that the authorities will punish the abusers in this case of the maid. Knowing of how the system works in Pakistan, not always do the abusers get punished. One can hope the judicial system is fair and the abusers be punished to the maximum by the law.
Recently here in the USA, there was a major news of a millionaire Indian couple that was sentenced to prison for abusing and enslaving two maids. Here is the link to the story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/nyregion/23slave.html?em&ex=1214366400&en=0d978f28416cba82&ei=5087%0A
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/nassau/ny-lislav125761353jul12,0,6275446.story
I do wonder if the Pakistani judicial system can pass a similar or stronger sentence against the abusers of children and women.
Aftab Bhai, you bring up some important issues in respect to charity. For us Muslims, we have two forms of charity, one being zakat and the other sadaqa. Zakat is ordained as one of the pillars of our faith and sadaqa to be freely given to the needy. I am sure you know the difference, but many do not.
Now to your question of Hajj and charity. Though it is an obligation as a Muslim to perform Hajj once in their life time, but that is only if they are financially and physically able to do so. We cannot make statements to people that they should not go to Hajj and that they should give that money to charity. I do believe though that Muslims should not make a habit of performing Hajj every year, for the money can be used elsewhere for charity. The key is practicing moderation, which we all have a difficulty with.
In respect to the Qurbani (sacrifice of an animal), it is more symbolic but we will have a difficult time convincing the masses on this subject. These days, even at the time of Hajj, tickets are sold for the Qurbani and the government of Saudi Arabia donates the food to the need around the world. Yes, we will still see families doing the actual Qurbani and we are in no position to tell them not to. Each one of us must come to the understanding of what sacrifice actually means.
These are just my views, and I am just a confused desi living in the West…:)
I am sure those with more knowledge can shed their understanding of this subject with us.
Regards and thank you for all your prayers!
This is the first time, I have noticed that my comments are “awaiting moderation”. I do hope that TPS can explain this new policy.
Dear Dr Sahab,
It happens normally when some body sends paste link in comments. It is some sort of spam controller working for wordpress blogs but TPS should work on it so precious comments can be shown on site in time.
Have a nice day and take care of your health too. May Allah keep every body safe and healthy.
Dost dost na raha piyar piyar na raha………………….Ex friend
Dear, You are my bro in addition to friend. I am sorry if you took my any comment seriously.
I am missing your posts too. So please write it in a day or two. Thanks.
Saleem, thank you for your prayers. I am reposting without links.
Aftab and Saleem Bhai, interesting choice of topic here. I do hope that the authorities will punish the abusers in this case of the maid. Knowing of how the system works in Pakistan, not always do the abusers get punished. One can hope the judicial system is fair and the abusers be punished to the maximum by the law.
Recently here in the USA, there was a major news of a millionaire Indian couple that was sentenced to prison for abusing and enslaving two maids. (I tried to post links here of the story but was prevented).
I do wonder if the Pakistani judicial system can pass a similar or stronger sentence against the abusers of children and women.
Aftab Bhai, you bring up some important issues in respect to charity. For us Muslims, we have two forms of charity, one being zakat and the other sadaqa. Zakat is ordained as one of the pillars of our faith and sadaqa to be freely given to the needy. I am sure you know the difference, but many do not.
Now to your question of Hajj and charity. Though it is an obligation as a Muslim to perform Hajj once in their life time, but that is only if they are financially and physically able to do so. We cannot make statements to people that they should not go to Hajj and that they should give that money to charity. I do believe though that Muslims should not make a habit of performing Hajj every year, for the money can be used elsewhere for charity. The key is practicing moderation, which we all have a difficulty with.
In respect to the Qurbani (sacrifice of an animal), it is more symbolic but we will have a difficult time convincing the masses on this subject. These days, even at the time of Hajj, tickets are sold for the Qurbani and the government of Saudi Arabia donates the food to the need around the world. Yes, we will still see families doing the actual Qurbani and we are in no position to tell them not to. Each one of us must come to the understanding of what sacrifice actually means.
These are just my views, and I am just a confused desi living in the West…:)
I am sure those with more knowledge can shed their understanding of this subject with us.
Regards and thank you for all your prayers!
Dear Dr. Alshaer and all, yes Saleem is right, we are using Akismet Spam Controller for our blog. Right now we are dealing with more than 50,000 spam comments and Akismet does an excellent job to save all of us from quite a misery, though every now and then some fishy comment crosses the net.
That is why Akismet catches comments having more 2+ hyperlinks in them.
TPS never blocks or deletes or edits any comment.
Thank you all.
best regards
TPS
Quite a point has been raised here……However what could be the reasons for such immoral/inhuamne acts?????//
It is not lack of education or social awareness….for mostly the culprits of these crimes are quite well off educated people. And why is that the servants tend to go on working for them ( even if forced to do so … one can run away at the slightest of opportunity).
It is because usually the culprits are those well off people who have given loans to these poor chaps and think they own their lineage until loan is repaid. Or for they consider that these “mizaraas” ( in most cases they are the bonded labour ) are traditionally their slave.
What can bew done to deal with these issues?????? Gramene bank of Bangladesh is an example which frees one of these insolent bastards (the filthy rich guys) for the poor take the loan from the bank and return it without an interest rate when ever they could and 97% money is returned indeed for the poor are not those who run off with the money it is the trait of the hungry wealthier asses.
Another aspect is political.
Usually the culprits have quite a social standing ie are influnetial and cases cant be registered against them. Or even if done the plantiff usually withdraws after getting a beating from the Malik sb or concerned SHO.
We need someone other than the usualy police to deal with these issues. Some department directly inder the Federal Govt. reporting to Governor for according to definition he is the most non partisian person and running at the district levels. And the name of the plantiff to remain sealed until the verdict or till he is produced as an accusser.
It is only this way that we can eradicate this social injustice.
However, It all ends up at the idnependence of Judicary and here I am not refering to just higher Judicary but the Civil Courts and District Courts.
Let us pay those poor fellas well enough that they cant be tempted to go for one side due to any bribe or relationship!!!