Confessions of a Scared Girl

Confessions of a Scared Girl

Nine-year old Noor (not her real name) promptly wipes

The windscreens of cars waiting by the traffic signal, desperate to earn up to Rs200 before the day ends. She is clad in a tattered blue shalwar kameez with a sordid bright red scarf, foaming barefoot on the scorching streets of Karachi. Carrying a windscreen wiper in her dainty hands, she waits for the signal to turn red and pounces on the cars at each available opportunity. Once her job  is done, the little girl accepts some Rs10 from the drivers.

Noor is a street girl. She migrated to Karachi with her elder sister after the floods hit sindh last July. She recalls being thrown into a truck and, after a long journey, disembarking at a dilapidated yellow house. Her sister was taken to a different part of the house while she was locked in the store with two young girls. Noor was then placed under the supervision of a lady who asked her to call her Amma.

Her innocent smile and sparkling eyes make one wonder what else fate has in store for her. It takes just a cup of tea and a few biscuits to engage her in a comprehensive conversation during which she gives us and insight into her life, and conveys her insecurities about the future. She nibbles the biscuits quickly and drinks her tea while it is still hot. She likes the treat and says, “We don’t get much to eat and Amma beats us if we ask for more.” Noor lives in a scruffy area in Saddar and earns Rs100 to Rs200 daily.

“I was studying in the village, but I’ve not been to school since I came here. Amma beats me whenever I mention school.” She looks away hopelessly. When asked if she knows where her sister is, she replies, I used to hear her shout and cry every night, but now she’s gone. I fear I’ll be sold, too.”

Noor eats more biscuits. It is apparent from her hands and face that she is suffering from severe malnutrition. Her skin Is sunburn and lips are parched. Upon inquiring about her friends, Noor says that she has many but that she has to obey the or they get physical with her, which she doesn’t like. “When I get into a quarrel with my friends, they pull my hair and scratch my face; the male ones hit and fondle. So I try not to fight.” She shows me some scratches. Noor aspires to become a doctor and wants to return to the village with her sister. She’s hopeful that one day, things will get better. Noor is one of the thousands of children who were abducted during last year’s floods and were forced into beggary, prostitution and trafficking. It’s time the government took notice of this growing abuse and saved so many innocent lives from this pit of eternal devastation.