The Stream

Image of reportedly mistreated maids in Pakistani restaurant goes viral

A picture allegedly showing domestic help caring for a child in a restaurant while family eats provokes outrage.

UPDATE: The restaurant owner, Alexandre Rizvi, in an interview with Dawn News, questioned the staff after the image went viral and was told the maids were sitting at first. When the child got fussy they stood up to “calm him down”. During that time, the picture was taken and posted on social media. The people in the picture contacted Rizvi and demanded access to CCTV footage from that night so they could stop the online attacks. Rizvi said “You can’t just take pictures of people out for dinner with their family. It’s unethical and a complete invasion of privacy”.  

———————-

An image posted on social media by Yusra Askari, claims to show a Pakistani family eating in a restaurant, while domestic helpers stand to the side and care for a child. Criticising the family for allegedly not feeding the two girls with the child, the post was retweeted more than 1,000 times. 

 

Many are debating the context around the image, with some asking whether the maids had already eaten and perhaps were walking around with a restless child. Others criticised the Twitter user for sharing the image without the family’s permission. Some noted such treatment of domestic help was common across South Asia and in Gulf countries.

 

If you can’t feed the two little girls minding your child, please don’t bring them to a restaurant! pic.twitter.com/GIxQWK4JCE

— Yusra Askari (@YusraSAskari) February 26, 2015