Domestic help starved, beaten by employer.

LAHORE -- A child domestic worker was allegedly kept hungry for five days and beaten up after being accused of stealing milk from the employer's house.

Eight-year-old Sana was rescued by the Punjab Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) on Thursday and was found to have severe marks of torture on her body.

Sana was working at Hammad Raza's home in Wapda Town and was regularly punished by her employers through physical abuse. The CPWB was alerted through a call on their helpline 1121.

According to Sarah Ahmed, chairperson of the CPWB, Sana had been working for seven months at Hammad Raza's house for Rs5,000 a month. She said that upon her rescue it was noted that there were injuries on her hands and feet and burn marks on her neck and back. She said the child had been beaten up on the allegation of stealing milk.

'The child had been kept hungry for the past five days,' she told Dawn. After the child is presented in a court, a medical examination will be done as per court order, and an FIR will be lodged in police station, she said.

The child's parents have been informed. 'She will be given all medical treatment required, as well as legal aid to help with the case.'

The child showed marks of torture on her entire body and her limbs were swollen because of being beaten while there was a deep gash on her wrist done by a knife. On the back of her neck, she had been scalded with hot water and she said they had slashed her stomach with a heated knife and her ankles were bruised from being beaten with a stick.

Although there are no official statistics, it is estimated that more than 250,000...

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