Killing of Zohra Shah
Zohra Shah | |
|---|---|
| زہرہ شاہ | |
| Born | |
| Died | 1 June 2020 Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Cause of death | Beating |
| Known for | Murder victim |
Zohra Shah (Urdu: زہرہ شاہ) was an eight-year-old Pakistani domestic slave of a married couple, Hassan Siddiqui and Umme Kulsoom.[1] She was tortured and killed for mistakenly releasing her masters' 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
She was from Basti Maso Shah in Muzaffargarh District of southern Punjab approximately 580 kilometres (360 mi) from the capital, Islamabad.
Murder
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
Siddiqui and Kulsoom were arrested and put on judicial remand.[1]
In the Pakistani legal system, the victim's family is required to officially press charges and have the legal authority to forgive the murder. The accused's relatives pressured Shah's parents to accept a blood-money settlement in exchange for forgiving her murderers, and when they refused, threatened to use it to bribe the police and halt the investigation instead.[7]
Several actors and social media personalities spoke out against the murder and called for better implementation of child labor laws, starting a #JusticeForZohraShah tag on Twitter.[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d 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 11 June 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 5 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Zohra Shah: Pakistani girl, 8, killed after freeing expensive parrots from cage". The National (Abu Dhabi). 3 June 2020. Retrieved 11 June 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 11 June 2020.
- ^ Haque, Asra (17 June 2020). "The laws that failed Zohra Shah". VoicePK. VoicePK. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
- ^ "We cannot have another case like Zohra Shah: Osman Khalid Butt". Tribune PK. Tribune. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2026.