{"id":2071,"date":"2021-10-11T09:58:56","date_gmt":"2021-10-11T09:58:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/?p=2071"},"modified":"2024-03-13T15:54:23","modified_gmt":"2024-03-13T14:54:23","slug":"bishops-of-pakistan-on-intl-day-of-the-girl-child-end-forced-marriage-and-conversion-of-minor-girls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/bishops-of-pakistan-on-intl-day-of-the-girl-child-end-forced-marriage-and-conversion-of-minor-girls","title":{"rendered":"Bishops of Pakistan on Int\u2019l Day of the Girl Child: Govt must end forced marriage and conversion of minor girls"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"2071\" class=\"elementor elementor-2071\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-01f3c94 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"01f3c94\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d1cab19\" data-id=\"d1cab19\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-efb4296 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"efb4296\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li data-leveltext=\"-\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">1,000\u00a0girls from religious minorities are targeted for forced conversions through sham marriages\u00a0in Pakistan every year<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/li><li data-leveltext=\"-\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Human rights body of the\u00a0Pakistan Catholic Bishop\u2019s\u00a0Conference demands government action to end\u00a0this\u00a0violation\u00a0on Int\u2019l Day of the Girl Child<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ab3a5b1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ab3a5b1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-contrast=\"none\"><b>LAHORE\u00a0<\/b><\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">(11\u00a0October 2021) &#8211;\u00a0On the International Day of the Girl Child,\u00a0Catholic Bishops\u00a0have taken action to\u00a0challenge\u00a0religious freedom violations against teenage girls.\u00a0In a statement\u00a0released this morning, the\u00a0National Commission for Justice and Peace\u00a0\u2013 the human rights body\u00a0of the Pakistan Catholic Bishop\u2019s Conference\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0have called on the authorities\u00a0to take tangible legislative action to end forced marriages for the\u00a0purpose of forced conversion. The statement further\u00a0criticises\u00a0the resistance of the government so far to pass legislation to this effect. The\u00a0Bishops\u2019\u00a0action\u00a0joins\u00a0wider\u00a0international\u00a0voices\u00a0on the issue\u00a0including\u00a0human rights group\u00a0ADF International, which\u00a0has\u00a0launched an open\u00a0letter\u00a0calling\u00a0for\u00a0young\u00a0girls from religious minorities\u00a0to be protected\u00a0from\u00a0the horrors of\u00a0abduction\u00a0and forced marriage.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cNobody should be persecuted because of their faith. In Pakistan, young Christian girls are abducted and converted through forced marriage. The case of\u00a0Maira\u00a0is just one shocking example. We call on supporters to add their voice to the #EndForcedMarriage campaign and sign the letter to apply maximum international pressure to the Pakistani authorities, and to let these girls know that someone hears their voice,\u201d said Tehmina Arora, Director of Advocacy, Asia for ADF International.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-container brlbs-cmpnt-content-blocker brlbs-cmpnt-with-individual-styles\" data-borlabs-cookie-content-blocker-id=\"youtube-content-blocker\" data-borlabs-cookie-content=\"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\"><div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-preset-c brlbs-cmpnt-cb-youtube\"> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-thumbnail\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/borlabs-cookie\/1\/yt_kIu_oAKkkR8_hqdefault.jpg')\"><\/div> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-main\"> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-play-button\"><\/div> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-content\"> <p class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-description\">Est\u00e1s viendo un contenido de marcador de posici\u00f3n de <strong>YouTube<\/strong>. Para acceder al contenido real, haz clic en el siguiente bot\u00f3n. Ten en cuenta que al hacerlo compartir\u00e1s datos con terceros proveedores.<\/p> <a class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-provider-toggle\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-show-provider-information role=\"button\">M\u00e1s informaci\u00f3n<\/a> <\/div> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-buttons\"> <a class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-btn\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-unblock role=\"button\">Desbloquear contenido<\/a> <a class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-btn\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-accept-service role=\"button\" style=\"display: inherit\">Aceptar el servicio requerido y desbloquear los contenidos<\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">In a joint statement, His Excellency Bishop Samson\u00a0Shukardin,\u00a0Chairperson, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Yousaf (Mani),\u00a0National Director,\u00a0and Mr. Naeem Yousaf Gill,\u00a0Executive Director,\u00a0called on the federal government\u00a0to take\u00a0\u201ca logical and legal stance in accordance with its international obligations and constitutional provisions for the protection of the rights of minorities.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cThe victim child faces\u00a0extreme\u00a0agony of fear, separation from parents and physical, mental and emotional exploitation. It is observed that parents of the victim child are threatened to keep silent. In fact, the crime of forced conversion involves multiple violations of human rights including freedom of religion and fundamental human rights,\u201d\u00a0they added.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>The conference further called for the minimum age of marriages to be increased to 18 years old, in line with Pakistan\u2019s international commitments.<\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\"><b>Maira, escapee from forced marriage, speaks out<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Many\u00a0girls\u00a0from religious minorities\u00a0in Pakistan\u00a0and across South Asia\u00a0fear for their safety. 14-year-old\u00a0Maira\u00a0is one of the estimated 1000 girls that are\u00a0\u201cconverted\u201d against their will\u00a0through a forced marriage\u00a0in\u00a0the country\u00a0every year.\u00a0Maira\u00a0escaped her abductor and \u201chusband\u201d, and now waits in hiding while her legal team\u00a0fight in court to\u00a0annul\u00a0her marriage certificate.\u00a0ADF International, the\u00a0human rights\u00a0organisation\u00a0supporting\u00a0Maira\u2019s\u00a0case,\u00a0is gathering signatures for\u00a0an open\u00a0letter\u00a0to the Prime\u00a0Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan,\u00a0calling\u00a0on the government\u00a0to\u00a0address this common threat to girls from religious minorities.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cI was forcibly abducted, forced to sign documents,\u00a0and told that I had to become a Muslim. I was also told that I was now married and could not\u00a0return to my parents. They threatened to kill my parents and harm my loved ones. I thank God that Sumera is my lawyer.\u00a0I want to appeal to the government of Pakistan to pay attention to this case and ensure proper prosecution,\u201d said\u00a0Maira.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\"><b>International action to\u00a0#EndForcedMarriage\u00a0on Int\u2019l Day of the Girl Child<\/b><\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The\u00a0open letter,\u00a0drafted\u00a0by ADF International, calls on the government of Pakistan\u00a0to\u00a0create reporting helplines,\u00a0return minors to their parents,\u00a0and train the police and judiciary to\u00a0better\u00a0protect girls belonging to religious minorities.\u00a0The human rights\u00a0organisation\u00a0calls for supporters of the campaign to\u00a0post a picture of themselves\u00a0wearing\u00a0green\u00a0with the\u00a0hashtag\u00a0#EndForcedMarriage\u00a0on 11 October\u00a0and sign the\u00a0letter\u00a0on\u00a0EndForcedMarriage.org.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\"><b>A global concern<\/b><\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Forced conversion through forced marriage is not unique to one country. Reports have emerged of girls being forcibly married to the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Taliban have also\u00a0already\u00a0publicized\u00a0plans\u00a0to \u201ceradicate the ignorance of irreligion\u201d by taking non-Muslim women and girls as sex slaves. In Northern Nigeria, many Christian girls face forced marriages and forced conversions to Islam. In Northwest Nigeria, the median age of marriage is only 15, and girls usually have no say in the matter. According to UN Women, approximately 700 million girls worldwide have been married before their eighteenth birthday. One in every three girls in developing countries is married before reaching the age of 18 and one in nine is married under age 15.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cGovernments\u00a0must do more to prevent such extreme violations of fundamental rights in the country.\u00a0Maira\u2019s\u00a0case is a much too frequent example of what religious minorities face and can no longer go unnoticed. All people have the right to freely choose and live out their faith without fear of violence. All states must ensure that their laws and policies are in line with their commitments to protect religious freedom under international law,\u201d said Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a1c4475 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"a1c4475\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0702bff elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0702bff\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" 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