Religious minorities aren’t safe in Pakistan, especially women. Blind eye from police and concerned authorities along with inadequate policy reforms is concerning. As we ended 2023 on a sour note, petrify reality of minorities still remains the same in Pakistan for decades.
All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Pakistani Minorities posted a report after a detailed study on forced conversions, abduction, and marriages in Pakistan.
Approximately 1,000 girls belonging from minor communities between the ages of 12-25 are forcibly converted to Islam in Pakistan every year.
Victims are married to their abductors, which described the case as a “human-rights violation”.
The struggle of minorities for their basic human rights is never ending, whether it’s the right to education, work, marriage, even the right to live.
Tone deaf behaviour of the Government to the horrifying reality of forced conversions and marriages have worsened the situation, causing many atrocities.
Recently “The Losing Side”, a film that addresses the issue of forced religious conversion in Sindh has won an award at the Cannes World Film Festival. Pakistan received international recognition with this massive hit.
According to director Jawad Sharif, the film is based on real events, having four victims of forced conversions narrating their stories.
It is alarming looking at the stats of its annual report for the year 2021, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said at least 27 alleged forced conversion cases were reported from Sindh. According to experts, it is a national threat & Government should take necessary measures to ensure the safety of women, belonging from any community or minority.
