ISLAMABAD: The wife of a civil judge was arrested on Monday over accusations she tortured her 14-year-old maid in a case that has caught the public imagination in Pakistan and led to widespread calls for justice.

It is illegal for children to work in factories and other industries in Pakistan, but there are still about 12 million child workers in the country, according to the Pakistani NGO, the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC). Many work as domestic staff in private homes, making it more difficult for authorities to monitor working conditions or detect abuse. Extreme poverty pushes many families to send their children to work.

In the latest case, a teenager identified only as Rizwana by the media has been under treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Lahore General Hospital since July 24 where she was brought from Sargodha. Prior to that, the girl worked for six months in Islamabad at the house of Civil Judge Asim Hafeez, whose wife Somia Asim had employed her.

Asim, who was granted bail last month, appeared in court on Monday for her bail hearing.

“There is no ground for the bail extension yet,” Additional District and Sessions Judge Farrukh Fareed was widely quoted by Pakistani media as saying.

“There shouldn’t be any fear in finding the truth,” he added as he disposed the bail plea. Asim was arrested soon after from outside the court.

Asim has pleaded innocence before a joint investigation team (JIT) formed to probe the case and denies Rizwana ever worked at her home. The prosecution says it will present evidence of the torture, including a video of Asim dropping Rizwana to a bus stop from where her parents picked her up and subsequently learnt about her injuries.

Doctors have told media Rizwana, who was initially on life support, has sepsis from weeks of untreated wounds, as well as multiple internal injuries and damage to vital organs. She has also had to undergo facial reconstruction surgery.

The May 2020 death of an eight-year-old maid also caused outrage in Pakistan, prompting the government to propose changes to legislation governing child labor. On August 6, 2020, Pakistan passed an amendment making it illegal for the first time for children to be employed as domestic labor.