KARACHI:
An assistant at the Gulshan-e-Iqbal Autism Care and Rehabilitation Organization in Karachi has been fired after a disturbing video was circulated of her hitting an Autistic child and wrenching his ears in a classroom full of other children.
The CCTV footage captures the distressing scenes, showing the assistant, identified as Safia Naz, beating a boy aged between 10 to 12 years. “We have taken action against Safia and submitted an application in the police station,” ACRO spokesperson Sardar Nadeem said to The Express Tribune. “She has been fired.”
When she was questioned by the institution’s staff, Safia is reported to have said that the child bit her hand, which enraged her. “She said that she was ill, had a backbone issue and was in pain and had not been able to get treatment,” added the spokesperson. “She said, that is why she flared up all of a sudden.” Her reaction was attributed to the mental stress she was under.
Safia Naz had been working at ACRO for eight years. This is the first complaint against her, ACRO said.
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Gulshan-e-Iqbal SHO Rao Naeem Rajput told The Express Tribune that ACRO had submitted an application on the evening of October 1. The incident itself had taken place four days earlier on September 26.
The footage was shared by the ACRO administration with the parents of children enrolled at the centre, which has about 130 children.
ACRO requested the police that the child undergo a medico-legal examination. The officer noted, however, that detecting signs of physical abuse four days after the beating would be difficult unless the injuries were severe.
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ACRO says it specializes in the education and training of children diagnosed with Autism, a condition caused largely by genetic and environmental factors. It shows up as difficulty in social communication, repetitive behaviors, and challenges in understanding societal norms, especially when these signs appear in early childhood.
Safia Naz’s responsibilities included teaching them daily tasks such as eating meals, placing clothes in cupboards and changing their clothes.
Regarding the police complaint, ACRO management said the institution’s lawyer would release further details to the media.
