Abduction and forced marriages of Hindu and Christian girls in Pakistan will not be tolerated

United Nations reprimanded Pakistan

New York (US) – “Girls from Pakistan’s Christian and Hindu communities are particularly vulnerable to forced religious conversion, abduction, trafficking, child marriage, early and forced marriage, domestic servitude and sexual violence,” said UN experts while expressing dismay. Experts said, Pakistan needs to uphold its obligations under the relevant international covenant. They also warned that such heinous human rights violations and the impunity of such crimes can no longer be tolerated or justified.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has released a statement quoting experts. According to the statement,

1. Forced marriages and religious conversions of girls from religious minorities which have been coerced are validated by the Courts, often invoking religious law to justify keeping victims with their abductors rather than allowing them to return them to their parents.
Perpetrators often escape accountability, with Police dismissing crimes under the guise of love marriages.

2. Under international law, consent is irrelevant when the victim is a child under the age of 18. A woman’s right to choose a spouse and freely enter into marriage is central to her life, dignity and equality as a human being and must be protected and upheld by law.

3. Provisions to invalidate, annul or dissolve marriages contracted under duress, with due consideration for the women and girls concerned, are necessary to ensure access to justice, remedy, protection, and adequate assistance for victims.

Editorial Perspective

The United Nations is like a paper tiger and its history does not show that it has solved any problems or protected anyone. Therefore, rather than making such statements, it is necessary to take concrete actions.