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Snapshot 3:Fri, Nov 1, 2024 1:54:23 PM GMT last edited by Vandita

UK: 10-Year-Old's Killer Dad Made Her Do Sit Ups All Night

UK: 10-Year-Old's Killer Dad EnforcedMade All-NightHer Do Sit- Ups onAll Murdered 10-Year-Old GirlNight

Above: A general view of the Old Bailey, also known as the Central Criminal Court. Image copyright: Jack Taylor/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

  • Sara Sharif, a 10-year-old girl who was found dead at her Surrey home in the UK in August 2023, was reportedly forced by her father into all-night sit-ups because she hid his keys. Sharif's stepmother had accused her father Urfan Sharif of thrashing the child for being "naughty.”Sara Sharif — a 10-year-old girl who was found dead at her Surrey home in the UK last August — was forced by her father, Urfan Sharif, to do sit-ups all night because she had been "naughty" and hid his keys, jurors at the Old Bailey heard on Thursday.

  • The stepmother, Beinash Batool — who, along Urfan Sharif and his brother Faisal Malik, is under trial for the girl's murder — reportedly informed her sister Qandeela Saboohi via WhatsApp messages sent in 2020 and 2023 about the physical abuse, adding "he will live to regret."Sara's stepmother, Beinash Batool — who, along with Urfan and his brother Faisal Malik, is under trial for the girl's murder — reportedly informed her sister Qandeela Saboohi about the physical abuse she suffered in Urfan's hand via WhatsApp messages in 2020 and 2023.


The Spin

Sara Sharif's tragic death must not be forgotten, for her suffering symbolizes a call for urgent reform to protect all children. Allegedly tortured and silenced, her young life was surrounded by adults who saw,witnessed heardher abuse, yet remained silent. As a society, we cannotcan't afford complacency, nor does the notion that "reasonable chastisement" hashave any place in a world that values the innocence and rights of children. Sara’s memory demands that we reevaluate our laws and safeguard the vulnerable before another life is lost.

SaraThis Sharif'sincident death highlights a harrowing systemic failure in child safeguarding in the UK. She was failed by an overwhelmed, under-resourced, systemrigid bureaucracy, unable to act in time. Campaigners call this failure catastrophic, accusing a rigid bureaucracy focused on targets over human intervention. Despite prior reforms and pleas for resources, children like Sara remain neglected in a crisis-laden system. Her death underscores a desperate need for accountability and a radical overhaul in safeguarding vulnerable children.


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