Faisalabad: Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) condemns false charges of stealing gold’s ornaments on Rubby Masih and her juvenile daughter being domestic workers but the reason behind harassments is religious victimization for not obeying their employer’s orders against “No Domestic Worker shall be required to perform any work other than what is specifically mentioned in the letter of employment” defines in Domestic Workers Act.

Naveed Walter president of HRFP said that the case of domestic workers is not a new but number of same format issues comes to HRFP being assisted throughout the year where Christian women and girls are subjected to rape, violence, discriminated, pressurized to forcibly convert & marrying and to do whatever their employers asked beyond terms & conditions of their job natures. He said HRFP has campaigned with CSOs and Labor Departments for the registration of domestic workers which was boycotted & discouraged by employers regarding the provision of data & information during filling forms conditionally to fire them from jobs and to not get them anymore.

HRFP team fact findings the Rubby Masih case and it was known more during her and family’s visits at HRFP office that on 1st August 2020 when she stopped job, Police came to their home on 4th August 2020, arrested them, took them to local police station where FIR was registered stating by employer that, “On 27th July 2020, I went to market with my family for important work. The accused, our other employee and my nine years old nephew were at home and the accused have stolen my gold ornaments.…..The accused were seen worried and they ran out of the house….When we inquired from the accused they denying for stealing my bracelet”. Due to continue pressure and investigations on 22nd August 2020 Rubby and family submitted an application to SP investigation against violations by concerned police station but no developments were made. Due to fear of arrest again Rubby and daughter are granted bails but threats are still continuing.

Naveed Walter said that in Rubby’s and other same case studies the regulations of employment of domestic workers are fully violated. He said, HRFP submitted the recommendations to Labor Departments for Punjab Domestic Workers Act II of 2019;  the added, “No child under the age of 15 years shall be allowed to work in a household in any capacity” is actually not in practice but additional part of same clause, “..Provided that no domestic worker under the age of 18 years shall be engaged in a domestic work except involving light work in a household” was strongly opposed by HRFP is in fact a space for employers because the mostly incidents occurred between the age range of 15-18 or lower, he added more. Naveed Walter urged for the immediate implementations of Domestic Workers Act ensuring specifically that “No domestic worker shall be discriminated in recruitment, continuance of employment, deciding wages, benefits and other rights on grounds of religion, race, caste, creed, sex, ethnic background, and place of birth/residence, domicile, migration or any other reason”, he  added more.