In 2016, Tayyaba was brutalised by her employer for misplacing a broom. To avoid being taken into custody, the woman and her husband (an additional session judge) refused to leave the courtroom. Some two million cases are still pending in Pakistan, a country whose justice system protects the upper classes.
Islamabad (AsiaNews) – A Pakistani court has convicted Additional Session Judge Raja Khurram Ali Khan and his wife for torturing Tayyaba, a ten-year-old girl who worked for them as a house maid.
Justice Aamer Farooq sentenced the couple to one year in jail each and a fine of 50,000 rupees (US$ 430) each.
When the sentence was read on Tuesday (17 April), the two defendants refused to leave the courtroom to avoid arrest. Justice Farooq granted them bail.
"First a judge and his family abuse a child, then another judge abuses justice. This is the kind of persecution visited upon the poor and disadvantaged communities,” said Rojar Noor Alam, manager of Caritas Pakistan, speaking to AsiaNews.
The case dates back to December 2016, when news spread that the judge's wife had punished the child only because she had lost a broom.
The incident prompted the Sindh Provincial Assembly to approve the Sindh Prohibition of Employment of Children Act 2017, which outlaws the work of children under the age of 14.
For the Caritas manager, "instead of setting a precedent by giving justice to the poor, the court benefited the upper classes. What kind of rule of law can we expect in this country?"
For Aamir Kakkazai, a Muslim writer and researcher, "Due to media pressure, the authorities handled the case smoothly, efficiently and in a timely manner, without any interference; followed by the conviction and the sentence. It was an improvement for our courts. Then came the release. We condemn our respectable courts.”
"In Pakistan the justice system is outdated and does not meet the criteria of accessibility, fairness, transparency and equity,” said Muhammad Zubair, manager of the South Asia Partnership Pakistan programme.
"In many cases,” he adds, “it takes generations to get justice. Often the injured parties avoid going to court because of the slowness and the high costs of the trial. Some reports suggest that about two million cases are still pending. This situation is responsible for the increase in anarchy in society.”
"For poor people like Tayyaba, getting justice is still a distant dream. Often the poor are forced to settle the case out of court with compensation. In other cases, they can face death threats and are exploited by their oppressors."