The Ranipur incident has sent shockwaves across Sindh, calling into question the performance of the police and the dominance of influential religious and political leaders in our society. The brutal murder of 9 year old Fatima of Nosheroferoz in the placal mansion of an influential religious leader shows how blatantly the laws and the fundamental rights are being violated in Sindh and across the country. The deceased girl Fatima was working as a domestic-maid in that palace. Article 11 of the constitution of Pakistan clearly prohibits slavery and forced labour while clause 3 of the same article is clear that, “No child below the age of 14 years shall be engaged in any factory, mine or Hazardous employment.
News reports circulating on different news channels suggest that as many as 17 under aged girls and boys are still working in the same mansion without any remuneration and their parents due to abject poverty are unaware of the conditions of their children who are working as bounded labourers in that palace. Local police tried to give protection to the accused involved in the brutal murder but the actions taken by police high-ups in this case are commendable. Post-mortem is a mandatory requirement of law as per the provisions of police rules in cases of suspicious deaths but local police did not bother to issue medical letter to the bereaved family.
On the other hand, the legal fraternity as well as the human rights commission of Pakistan are not satisfied with the FIR lodged against the accused in this case. The way this incident had spread terror across the locality section 6 and 7 of anti terrorisim act 1997 should be added in the final challan as the video clearly projects the ruthlessness of the accused and her family members who should also be booked in line with section 115 of Pakistan Penal Code. The FIR had been registered under sections 302 and 34 PPC but relevant sections like 370 and 374 PPC dealing with forced labour and torture have not been applied. Furthermore 4 (1) (2) of the Sindh Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 2015, sections 3 and 14 of the Sindh Prohibition of Employment of Children Act, 2017; section 2 (a-i) and 17 of the Sindh Child Protection Authority Act, 2011 should also me me included in the final challan to be submitted before local Judicial Magistrate Kandiaro on completion of investigation. The police should collect complete records of CCTV footage and send it for forensic examination as article 164 of Qanoon-E- Shahadat declare evidence collected through modern devices admissible in the court of law.
As many as 91 women, lost their lives in the incidents of honour killing and domestic violence during the last six months of 2023, as per the data collected by a social and women rights body Sindh Suhai Organization (SSO). Sindh police reported 71 cases related to sexual violence against children in the first 10 months of 2022. These included 41 cases of sodomy – 13 in Hyderabad range and 11 in Sukkur range.
Another 30 cases involved general sexual abuse of children with no specification of the nature of crime. More than half of these (60%) occurred in Karachi . In this country laws related to protection of women have been enacted by the parliament but we rarely see any sort of implementation of these laws and the core reason behind that is lack of awareness among the subjects of these laws. The investigation agency can play a vital role in making this case an example by ensuring Justice for Fatima. People of Sindh have turned up against this incident. We hope that it may not meet the same fate as that of the Nazim Jokhiyo murder case.
Image – The News International