She obviously worked in very difficult conditions - one cold evening, the scantily dressed Shazia was seen by one of the neighbours cleaning the driveway as the big begum, wrapped in a woollen shawl, oversaw her work. That she was physically tortured also became known when her body reached her parents' home. There were many fresh wounds, but quite a few were old enough to have hardened, leaving behind telltale scars.
No wonder the parliament observed one-minute silence and passed a resolution condemning her murder. But this is not something new; it is before us, in all its brutal detail, just because there was the media to report it.
Child labour is rampant in our society, given the reality that in the absence of safety nets for ageing parents, children are sent out to work and earn a living for the entire family. But quite often, these little boys and girls are treated as slaves, particularly when employed as domestic help.
Pity, a bill passed by the National Assembly against domestic violence was allowed to wither away in the Senate just because it failed to get the nod from JUI (F). And as for the Employment of Children Act 1991, its application remains laconic for it is essentially of industrial orientation. In fact, violence against this most vulnerable segment of society has greatly increased, mainly because under growing stress of higher living costs, more and more children are being exposed to the hazards of working in unprotected environments.
But more dangerous than this, is the emergence of gangs who steal children from their parents by paying attractive advances or simply kidnapping them and then sell them, as seems to be the case of Shazia's recruitment.
Presently, not much is on the statute book to confront this curse of enslaving children, a failure that should be addressed without further loss of time. On the face of it, the dice are loaded against Shazia. One finds her poor hapless parents pitted against a formidable array of legal experts and unhelpful police. Even the registration of an FIR against the accused was a problem and the Chief Minister had to step in.
But it is a case of national shame - her parents should not lose this case, for in their loss, we all would be losers. Let the government hand over investigation of the case to the Federal Investigation Agency and the trial of the case be conducted by an anti-terrorist court, for as of now, the local police do not seem to be very enthusiastic in pursuing the case of Shazia Masih's murder.