A civil courtroom in Pakistan’s Punjab province has annulled the compelled marriage of a Christian lady who had been subjected to years of abuse and coercion, permitting her to reunite along with her household after enduring compelled conversion and marriage to her stepfather’s brother.
The courtroom, in Bahawalpur metropolis, dominated in favor of Shahida Bibi, declaring the wedding invalid and reversing her coerced conversion to Islam, in keeping with the authorized advocacy group ADF Worldwide, which supported her case together with allied attorneys.
Authorities issued new identification paperwork that restored her standing as a Christian. The authorized battle represents a uncommon occasion of justice being served in circumstances involving compelled conversion and marriage in Pakistan, the group stated.
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Bibi’s ordeal started on the age of 11 when her mom eloped with a Muslim man. The person handed Bibi over to his brother, who later entered into an Islamic marriage union, or Nikah, along with her after she turned 18.
This transfer was reportedly made to bypass Pakistan’s anti-child marriage regulation, which prohibits unions involving minors. Throughout this time, Bibi gave delivery to 2 youngsters whereas being trapped within the compelled marriage.
A 2014 research by The Motion for Solidarity and Peace Pakistan estimated that about 1,000 ladies and women from Pakistan’s Hindu and Christian communities have been kidnapped, forcibly married to their captors and forcibly transformed to Islam yearly.
Beneath Sharia regulation, which allows marriage on the age of puberty, such unions are sometimes legitimized, leaving households powerless to intervene.
World organizations, together with the United Nations Youngsters’s Fund, warn that little one marriage stays an pressing concern worldwide, with over 100 million women prone to being compelled into marriage within the subsequent decade.
Minority women, resembling Christians and Hindus in Pakistan, are significantly susceptible attributable to systemic discrimination, restricted authorized protections and worry of retribution.
Tehmina Arora, director of advocacy for Asia at ADF Worldwide, known as the victory a step towards justice and freedom for younger ladies going through related ordeals.
“The federal government has a possibility to make a distinction, and they need to begin by implementing a uniform age for marriage to forestall these compelled kidnappings and marriages from taking place within the first place,” stated Arora.
“Each individual underneath worldwide regulation has the suitable to freely select and dwell out their religion with out worry of violence,” she added. “Each state, together with Pakistan, should be sure that their legal guidelines and insurance policies are in step with their commitments to guard non secular freedom underneath worldwide regulation, and that the legal guidelines they do have in place to guard women from these violations are enforced.”
In January 2025, European Union officers issued a proper warning to Pakistan, citing ongoing human rights violations, together with blasphemy legal guidelines and the persecution of non secular minorities. The EU cautioned that failure to handle these points may jeopardize Pakistan’s commerce relations with Europe.
Equally, in 2024, U.S. senators launched a bipartisan decision urging the U.S. authorities to carry violators of non secular freedom accountable. The decision particularly known as consideration to the plight of ladies like Bibi, underlining the necessity for diplomatic and authorized measures to fight compelled conversions and marriages globally.
