The historical background of the shrine sheds light on the practice of
child abuse that continues to this day. As per reports, Shah Daula who
was supposedly fond of animals would put helmets on the heads of
children for decorative purposes.
Religious orthodoxy, superstitious beliefs, coupled with mass
illiteracy can pave the way for exploitation in society. One such
startling case of child abuse, fuelled by religious dogmatism, comes
from the Islamic State of Pakistan. Children suffering from microcephaly,
a rare neurological disorder, are reduced to the status of animals in
Pakistan. Often referred to as ‘chuhas’ or rats by people, these
children are characterised by abnormally small heads, round jaws, and
disfigured foreheads.
In the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the microcephalic children find
refuge at the shrine of Shah Daula in Varedia, Gujarat. They are revered
as divine creatures and simultaneously stripped of their human dignity.
Reportedly, infertile from across the country flock to the shrine in
the hopes of having a normal baby. Other pilgrims bring in their sick
infants and hope of their bright health conditions in the future. The
shrine of Shah Daula is considered as the abode of fertility for women.
Child abuse under the garb of magical ‘fertility’
Prayers are supposedly answered only under one atrocious condition –
the women must donate their first child to the shrine. It is believed
that otherwise subsequent children will be born with deformities. Hence,
the first child must serve as one of the ‘rats of Shah Daula’. As per reports,
these children are not allowed to meet their parents. They are then
subjected to ‘artificial microcephaly’ wherein an iron band is placed on
their head to prevent the normal growth of the cranium.
These unfortunate children are draped in green cloaks and forced to
beg around the shrine. Since pilgrims live under the notion that
ignoring them may invite doom, they fill the begging bowls of children
with cash and coins. The children, devoid of education and parental
patronage, are left at the mercy of the administration of the shrine.
Reportedly, criminals in Pakistan have also been creating ‘artificial
rats’ with the sinister objective of minting money. The children are
coerced into begging on the streets, with begging bowls in their hands.
The History of the Shrine
The historical background of the shrine sheds light on the practice
of child abuse that continues to this day. As per reports, Shah Daula
who was supposedly fond of animals would put helmets on the heads of
children for decorative purposes. He had a penchant for abnormal
children and believed that they were human beings of different
abilities. Following the death of the Sufi saint, the deformed children
were associated with him and fabricated tales were weaved to justify the
practice.
Keeping aside the tradition of abuse, a scientific assessment of the
abnormality leads us to the religious practices in Islam that dictates
the way of life in the conservative society of Pakistan. The root cause,
as understood, behind the problem is the rampant rate of inbreeding
or cousin marriages. An alarming absence of medical care, institutions
to serve differently-abled children and the associated ignorance have
trapped the children of Shah Daula into a life of misery.
Pakistani and International Laws
As per Section 328 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC),
deserting a child below the age of 12 years by parents is a crime. At
the shrine of Shah Daula, the first child of such devotees are abandoned
on the first or the second day of their birth. Besides, Section 332 and
335 punishes disfiguring a functional organ of any individual but the
business of ‘artificial microcephaly’ goes unabated under the pretext of
making infertile women fertile. Moreover, forcing children into begging
is punishable with a maximum of 5 years of imprisonment and a fine of
PKR 1,00,000 under Section 36 of the Punjab Destitute and Neglected
Children Act 2004.
Although Pakistan is a member nation of the United Nations and liable
under Sections 23 and 37 of the United Nations Convention on Rights of
the Child 1990 (UNCRC) to prevent the child abuse going unabated under
the garb of ‘tradition’, little or no efforts have been made in this
regard. Lack of consciousness amongst the public regarding human rights
abuse, the complicity of governmental bodies, and the Council of Islamic
Ideology needs to be held accountable.
