Pakistan: Couple Kills 13-Year-Old Housekeeper for Stealing Chocolates

Pakistani authorities have arrested a couple in the northeast of the country on suspicion of killing a 13-year-old housemaid who allegedly stole chocolates from them, the BBC reported. The girl, who went by one name - Iqra - died of multiple injuries in hospital on Wednesday and a preliminary police investigation said she had been tortured.

 The case, in the Punjab city of Rawalpindi, has sparked widespread outrage, with social media posts using the hashtag "#JusticeforIqra" garnering tens of thousands of views and reigniting debate over child labour and the mistreatment of domestic workers. Laws vary across India, but children under the age of 15 cannot be employed as domestic workers in Punjab province. "I was completely devastated when she died," Iqra's father, Sana Ullah, told the BBC. He says he wants to see " those responsible for my daughter's death punished". Despite public and media outrage, such cases are often settled out of court and suspects are rarely successfully prosecuted.

 The man said he received a call from the police about his daughter on Wednesday. When he rushed to the hospital, he saw Iqra lying unconscious on a bed and minutes later watched her die. The 13-year-old had been working as a domestic worker since she was eight years old. Her father, a 45-year-old farmer, said he had sent her to work because he was in debt. The girl had been working for the Rawalpindi family, which has eight children, for two years and earned the equivalent of $23 , or about 27 euros, a month. Rashid Shafiq and his wife Sana's employers were arrested , along with a Quran teacher who worked for the family. He was the one who took Iqra to the hospital and then left after telling hospital staff that the girl's father was dead and her mother was not there. An autopsy is underway to assess the extent of the injuries on the girl's body.