Futures snatched by force of faith | The Express Tribune
Key Takeaways
- Concerns over forced conversion of minority girls in Pakistan are historic, with rules established by the All India Muslim League in 1927.
- Vulnerable minority girls face severe consequences including abduction, forced marriage, and associated criminal offenses.
- The Sindh province accounts for the vast majority (69%) of reported forced conversion cases, often involving children under 18.
- National bodies like the NCRC and NCSW are actively pushing for robust legislation to criminalize forced conversions and ensure accountability.
- A key legal debate revolves around the capacity of minors to consent to marriage or religious conversion, with commissions advocating for invalidating such marriages.
Concerns regarding forced conversion are not new in the region, with the All India Muslim League establishing rules against coercion in 1927, stating conversion must be by argument or persuasion, not force or material inducement. Currently, minority girls in Pakistan face significant vulnerabilities, leading to heart-wrenching stories of abduction, forced marriage, and associated crimes like rape and child marriage. Data highlights that Sindh province accounts for 69% of reported cases, with a high percentage of victims being minors under 18. In response, bodies like the National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) have launched reports demanding national and provincial legislation to criminalize these acts and hold perpetrators accountable. Furthermore, the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) has consistently called for laws recognizing forced conversion as gender-based violence, emphasizing that minors lack the capacity to consent to marriage or conversion, as highlighted in a case involving a 12-year-old girl in 2019.
