“To save the family from debt, she volunteered to work” Mother of deceased domestic maid calls for justice

July 21, 2021 at 2:40 PM

The mother of the 16-year-old girl, who died while being employed as a domestic worker at MP Rishad Bathiudeen’s house, has revealed that the victim had informed her of physical assault.

Addressing the media, the mother of the victim said the child had requested to return home, stating that a fellow male worker had assaulted her using a broom. 

The mother of the child further revealed that the victim had informed her that she did not want to work and wished to return home when she last contacted her. 

The woman further revealed that she was forced to send her daughter for employment due to the various loans she had taken as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The victim had died after being admitted to the National Hospital in Colombo with severe burn injuries earlier this month. However, the postmortem report had revealed that the child had been sexually abused over a long period of time. 

Commenting on the incident, the Domestic Workers Union (DWU) of Sri Lanka called on the Government to try and punish those responsible for the crime under the Criminal Law. 

Issuing a 6-point statement, the DWU urged the Government to implement legal mechanisms and policies that will ensure that such an incident does not repeat in the future. (NewsWire)