The reality of forced conversions and forced marriages in Pakistan
In most cases the victim is abducted and is then subjugated to sustained
emotional and physical abuse often involving threats of violence
towards their loved ones.
Evidence provided by numerous NGOs, journalists and academics have
shown that abductions and forced conversions are one of the most
serious problems facing Hindu and Christian women and girls.
Minorities often do not receive the protection required from state
institutions and lack access to justice 7. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reports that the police often turn a blind eye to reports of
abduction and forced conversions thereby creating impunity for
perpetrators. The police will often either refuse to record a First
Information Report or falsify the information, thereby denying families the
chance to take their case any further. Both the lower and higher courts
of Pakistan have failed to follow proper procedures in cases that involve
accusations of forced marriage and forced conversions. The judiciary
are often subject to fear of reprisal from extremist elements, in other
cases the judicial officers’ personal beliefs influence them into accepting
the claims made that the woman/girl converted on her own free will.
There is often no investigation into the circumstances under which the
conversion takes place and the age of the girl is often ignored. The
girl/woman involved is largely left in the custody of her kidnapper
throughout the trial process where she is subject to further threats to
force her into denying her abduction and rape and claiming that the
conversion was willing.
Many religious institutions, local mosques and seminaries fail to
investigate the nature of the conversion or the age of the bride and
mostly simply accept the word of the abductor. Some organisations, like
Minhaj-ul-quran, routinely and as a matter of official policy, encourage
the practice of converting members of minority communities by offering
rewards for successful conversions. They say that it is the equivalent of
Haj-e-Akbari, or the greatest religious duty to Muslims.8
“The state has a responsibility
to provide protection against
individuals or organisations that
try to convert people by
resorting to means of coercion
or by directly exploiting
situations of particular
vulnerability. They also have a
responsibility to ensure that
forced conversions do not
occur in the context of
marriage or marriage
negotiations.”
Professor Heiner Bielefeldt, the
former UN Special Rapporteur
for FoRB
The Failure of the Sindh Criminal Law (Protection of Minorities)
Bill
Read the full report published by the University of Birmingham – in 2018.
