A rights group in Pakistan has expressed serious concern over rising cases of abduction, forced conversion, and marriage of girls from minority groups, including Christians, in the Muslim-majority country. Source: UCA News.
In a press statement issued on March 27, Human Rights Focus Pakistan highlighted a “troubling pattern of abuse primarily targeting specifically underage Christian girls”.
This targeting is often accompanied by “intimidation and pressure on families that hinder legal proceedings,” the rights group said while citing data from its helpline and fact-finding missions.
Naveed Walter, president of the rights group, emphasised that these incidents constitute “clear violations of Pakistani law”.
The rights group said that Pakistan, as a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989, is obligated to uphold its provisions, along with the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948.
The rights group also reiterated concern over the systemic nature of these violations and the frequent lack of timely legal response.
It urged enforcement agencies, judicial authorities, and policymakers “to ensure the prompt registration of FIRs, conduct impartial investigations, and strictly enforce existing laws to safeguard vulnerable communities”.
Hindus form Pakistan’s largest religious minority, accounting for 1.61 per cent (3.86 million) of the 240 million population, followed by Christians at 1.37 per cent (3.28 million), according to 2023 government data.
Muslims make up 96.35 per cent of the country’s total population, while Sikhs, Buddhists, and Zoroastrians account for less than one per cent.
Unofficial estimates suggest as many as 1000 girls from religious minorities are abducted, forcibly converted, and married annually. A majority of these victims are minors, often as young as 10 years old.
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Rights group warns of rise in forced conversions in Pakistan (UCA News)
