"Violence against children is intolerable."
A 10-year-old domestic worker named Sonia died on April 12, 2025, after allegedly being tortured to death by her employers.
The child was employed by Farrukh Bashir and his wife Nosheen, who lived in Lahore.
According to her mother Asma Bibi, a resident of Arifwala, Sonia was sent to work at the home in January 2025.
The arrangement, made through a relative named Sheikh Fiyaz, promised a monthly wage of Rs 8,000 (£21).
However, instead of a better future, Sonia’s life ended in brutal tragedy.
Days before her death, Asma received a call from Sheikh claiming Sonia had a minor injury to her arm.
Alarmed, she asked another relative, Muhammad Aleem, to visit the house in Ali Block, Ittefaq Town.
But when he visited, he saw Sonia being violently beaten by the couple.
When he tried to intervene, Muhammad was thrown out and threatened.
Muhammad rushed back to inform Asma, who repeatedly called the couple but didn’t receive a reply.
Two days later, the silence ended with a phone call telling her that Sonia was dead.
When Asma arrived with family members, they found Sonia’s body lying on the floor, covered in bruises and wounds.
There were clear signs of prolonged abuse. The family claimed she had not been given any medical care, even as her condition worsened.
Police have now registered an FIR under Sections 302 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
A special investigation team was formed on the orders of DIG Operations Faisal Kamran.
Farrukh and Nosheen were taken into custody, and legal proceedings are underway.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed sorrow over the incident and assured the public that justice would be served.
The chairperson of the Child Protection Bureau, Sarah Ahmed, said:
“Violence against children is intolerable. Those responsible deserve no leniency.”
Despite the arrests, legal experts are pointing at a major oversight.
The FIR does not include charges under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act 2018.
The law clearly defines such employment of minors under forced labour and human trafficking.
Sonia’s case is heartbreakingly familiar.
In February 2025, Iqra, a 12-year-old domestic worker in Rawalpindi, died after being tortured by her employers over chocolates.
She had worked since the age of eight to pay off her father’s debt.
In 2023, a 14-year-old girl named Sana was tortured with scissors and sticks in Lahore’s Garhi.
Despite Pakistan’s laws forbidding the hiring of minors, such cases continue to come forward, revealing the deep cracks in enforcement and accountability.
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