By Min Ni Kyaw - Dec 19, 2024
A family residing in Shwe Pyi Thar Township allegedly beat a 15-year-old female domestic worker so severely that she had to be hospitalized, according to a relative of the victim’s family.
The victim’s family was unaware of the abuse until December 13, when they were informed that their daughter had been picked by village/ward community teams. Upon hearing this, they immediately went to the household where she had been employed, the family member said.
“On the 13th, someone from the household that employed the girl called her mother. They said they were willing to do whatever was necessary and asked her not to report the incident. The girl’s mother, worried because she hadn’t seen her daughter, told them she’d think about it. Later, she found out that her daughter was already at Insein General Hospital with visible injuries. When the mother went to see her, that’s when she learned the extent of the injuries,” the family member explained.
The domestic worker is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital for various injuries, including a burst wound on her left temple, swelling and bruising on her left cheek, dark bruises on her back, an injury on her right shoulder, pain in her left forearm, injuries to her right hand, a burst wound on her left knee, and an injury to her right shin. These details were confirmed by those close to the victim.
“When the doctors conducted a further examination, they found that her right index finger was fractured. The girl said she had been beaten by her employers—the husband and wife—and another veteran worker in the household,” said a relative of the family.
The victim’s family consists of four members living in an informal settlement in Dagon Seikkan Township. The girl had been sent to work in the abusive household in July 2024. According to the family, her salary was initially set at 100,000 MMK for the first month, but starting in subsequent months, it was reduced to only 70,000 MMK.
The victim’s mother would visit the household every month to collect her daughter’s wages, but she was never allowed to see her daughter in person, relatives said.
A formal complaint has been filed at Hlawga Police Station, and charges have been brought under Penal Code sections 323 (causing harm), 325 (causing grievous harm), 354 (assault and use of criminal force), and 114 (abetment). Investigations are ongoing.
Medical examinations are continuing for the victim, while members of the accused family have been released on bail, according to sources.
