Rat-children of Pakistan are individuals with microcephaly, often exploited as beggars at the Shrine of Saint Shah Dola.

They have sloping foreheads, narrow faces resembling rodents, and are often intellectually disabled and dependent on others.

The shrine is believed to have fertility powers, and a superstition claims that women must give up their firstborn to the shrine, or future children will be born with deformities. These firstborns, known as the “rats of Shah Dola” are taken from their parents.

Once taken in, these children are subjected to artificial microcephaly, where iron bands are placed around their heads to prevent normal skull growth.

The children are then sent out to beg on the streets, with all the money they collect going to those who exploit them. Since pilgrims believe that ignoring them may bring bad luck, they fill the children’s begging bowls with cash and coins.