Rape and Forced Religious Conversion of 15-Year-Old Christian Girl in Pakistan

A 15-year-old Christian girl from Pakistan was subjected to rape and forced religious conversion after being kidnapped.

“Hanif Hamid,” the lawyer of the 15-year-old Christian girl, reported the kidnapping of this girl over the past 5 months, rape, and forced religious conversion. The 15-year-old girl, whose name is protected due to the rape case, was kidnapped on January 25 of this year in Punjab Province, Pakistan, by a Muslim man. After 5 months of being kidnapped, she returned to her family’s embrace on Wednesday, May 21.

According to Hanif Hamid’s statement, this girl was kidnapped by “Muhammad Anas,” a 29-year-old Muslim man, along with four accomplices, from her aunt’s house in Sambryal, Sialkot district of the aforementioned province. Yousuf Masih, the girl’s father, also works at a brick kiln in the Sambryal neighborhood.

Hanif, the lawyer of this girl, said about her kidnapping: “This girl, whose name is not mentioned to protect privacy as a rape victim, went with her younger sister to their aunt’s house when the accused kidnapped her. Yousuf Masih initially did not know that Anas worked in a nearby field and had kidnapped his daughter, but after learning about this, he filed a kidnapping case against him on January 27; however, the police ignored this poor family’s requests to take action against the suspect and free their daughter.”

The defender lawyer of Yousuf Masih’s daughter also added: “After 12 days, the police informed the Masih family that their daughter had converted to Islam and, of her own free will, married Anas. However, when we examined the certificates of religious conversion and marriage that were issued by the Gujrat district, we found that both documents were forged.

The aforementioned documents indicated that this girl performed Nikah (Islamic marriage contract) on January 17 and converted to Islam the next day. This was while she was in her home in Sambryal and with her family during those dates.”

Hanif Hamid, in response to this incident and the police’s failure to investigate, said: “This is a clear example of false religious conversion and forged marriage to cover up the crimes of kidnapping and rape.”

According to Hanif’s statement, after the police failed to find the Masih family’s daughter, her family filed a petition with the Lahore High Court and demanded that the police find their daughter and arrest the suspects. Finally, the police presented their daughter to the high court on May 6.

Hamid continued on this matter: “Since the child was suffering from severe physical and psychological injuries and was not in a position to record her statements, the court ordered her to be transferred to a government women’s shelter in the Sialkot area for rehabilitation. Three suspects, including Anas as the main suspect, were sent to prison with a temporary detention order, while the police are trying to arrest two of their fleeing accomplices.

Those who took care of the girl at the shelter discovered that she was four months pregnant as a result of repeated rape by Anas. Finally, on Wednesday, May 21, this girl recorded her statement in the presence of Judge Khurshid Ahmad, judge of Sambryal, and expressed her desire to return to her parents’ embrace. The judge, accepting her request, allowed Yousuf Masih to take his daughter home, and now she is with her family members.”

Hanif Hamid, the lawyer of this girl, stated that he is preparing the case to file charges related to rape, forced religious conversion, and child marriage against the suspects in her case. He also said about the legal proceedings regarding such cases: “The law must be fully enforced against the accused, and all those who had a hand in the criminal acts of kidnapping this child girl, sexually assaulting her, and conducting a false Islamic marriage ceremony must be severely punished so as to serve as a lesson for others.”