{"id":2008,"date":"2021-09-30T13:17:58","date_gmt":"2021-09-30T13:17:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/?p=2008"},"modified":"2024-03-13T15:52:42","modified_gmt":"2024-03-13T14:52:42","slug":"escapee-from-forced-marriage-speaks-out-on-intl-day-of-the-girl-child","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/escapee-from-forced-marriage-speaks-out-on-intl-day-of-the-girl-child","title":{"rendered":"Escapee from forced marriage speaks out ahead of Intl Day of the Girl Child"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"2008\" class=\"elementor elementor-2008\" 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><span data-contrast=\"none\"><b>Girls from religious minorities are targeted for forced conversions through sham marriages across South Asia<\/b><\/span><\/li><li><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Public called to\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem; letter-spacing: 1.1px;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">sign an open letter to the Pakistani PM and post a picture wearing green with the hashtag #EndForcedMarriage on 11 October<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem; letter-spacing: 1.1px;\" data-ccp-props=\"{\">\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><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">LAHORE\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\"><b>(7 October 2021)<\/b> &#8211; This International Day of the Girl Child (11 October), many girls in South Asia fear for their safety. 14-year-old Maira is one of the estimated 1000 girls that are \u201cconverted\u201d against their will through a forced marriage in Pakistan every year. Maira escaped her abductor and \u201chusband\u201d, and now waits in hiding while her legal team fight in court to annul her marriage certificate. ADF International, the human rights organisation supporting Maira\u2019s case, is gathering signatures for an open letter to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, calling on the government to address 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\u00a0Sumera\u00a0is my lawyer.\u00a0I want to appeal to the government of Pakistan to pay attention to this case and ensure proper prosecution,\u201d said Maira.\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\">Vous \u00eates actuellement en train de consulter le contenu d'un espace r\u00e9serv\u00e9 de <strong>YouTube<\/strong>. Pour acc\u00e9der au contenu r\u00e9el, cliquez sur le bouton ci-dessous. Veuillez noter que ce faisant, des donn\u00e9es seront partag\u00e9es avec des providers tiers.<\/p> <a class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-provider-toggle\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-show-provider-information role=\"button\">Plus d'informations<\/a> <\/div> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-buttons\"> <a class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-btn\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-unblock role=\"button\">D\u00e9bloquer le contenu<\/a> <a class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-btn\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-accept-service role=\"button\" style=\"display: inherit\">Accepter le service requis et d\u00e9bloquer les contenus<\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\"><b>#EndForcedMarriage campaign launched<\/b><\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The open letter, drafted by ADF International, calls on the government of Pakistan to create reporting helplines, return forcibly married minors to their parents, and train the police and judiciary to better protect girls belonging to religious minorities. The human rights organisation calls for supporters of the campaign to post a picture of themselves wearing green with the hashtag #EndForcedMarriage on 11 October and sign the letter on <a href=\"https:\/\/endforcedmarriage.org\/\">EndForcedMarriage.org<\/a>. <\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cNobody should be persecuted because of their faith. In South Asia, young Christian girls are abducted and converted through forced marriage. The case of Maira is 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><b>Girls like Maira must be protected<\/b><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Maira\u00a0was\u00a0on her way to school\u00a0in her town of Faisalabad\u00a0when\u00a0she was kidnapped. She was able to escape her captor, but not before she was\u00a0brutalised, blackmailed,\u00a0and forcibly married to a much older Muslim man.\u00a0When Maira\u2019s parents went to court to regain custody, the Lahore High Court initially ordered that she be returned to her abductor.\u00a0As she waits in hiding, ADF International\u00a0allied lawyer,\u00a0Sumera\u00a0Shafiq,\u00a0is\u00a0working\u00a0to annul her marriage certificate.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Pakistan is recognized as one of the most dangerous places for a woman to be a Christian.\u00a0Maira\u2019s\u00a0case highlights\u00a0the\u00a0problem of forced \u201cconversion\u201d through marriage which affects an estimated 1,000 girls,\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">most commonly aged\u00a012\u00a0to\u00a015 years\u00a0old,\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">from religious minorities in\u00a0her\u00a0country every year.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The practice is usually carried out through kidnapping, sexual violence, and blackmail. Local authorities are often complicit in such cases. Courts have often failed to uphold the Child Marriage Restraint Act, which sets the legal age of marriage for girls at 16 years,<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">and\u00a0victims\u00a0have\u00a0been\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">returned to their\u00a0abductors during any legal challenge.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b>A global concern<\/b><\/p><p>Forced conversion through forced marriage is not unique to one country. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/uk-58731008\">Reports<\/a> have emerged of girls being forcibly married to the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Taliban have also already been publicizing <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/international\/568992-afghanistans-christians-are-turning-off-phones-and-going-into-hiding\">plans to \u201ceradicate the ignorance of irreligion\u201d<\/a> by taking non-Muslim women and <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/international\/568192-the-imminent-danger-for-afghanistans-women-and-minorities\">girls as sex slaves<\/a>. 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.<\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cPakistan&rsquo;s government must do more to prevent such extreme violations of fundamental rights in the country. Maira\u2019s case 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><p><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\" 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href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Paul-Coleman-400x400-1.png\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"96940ce\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Paul Coleman 400x400\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6MTI4MSwidXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6XC9cL2FkZmludGVybmF0aW9uYWwub3JnXC93cC1jb250ZW50XC91cGxvYWRzXC8yMDIxXC8wNVwvUGF1bC1Db2xlbWFuLTQwMHg0MDAtMS5wbmciLCJzbGlkZXNob3ciOiI5Njk0MGNlIn0%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Paul-Coleman-400x400-1.png\" data-width=\"400\" data-height=\"400\" aria-label=\"ADF International Executive Director, Paul Coleman\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This International Day of the Girl Child (11 October), many girls in South Asia fear for their safety. 14-year-old Maira is one of the estimated 1000 girls that are \u201cconverted\u201d against their will through a forced marriage in Pakistan every year. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2009,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[29,248,249,32,148],"class_list":["post-2008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-christian-persecution","tag-end-forced-marriage","tag-forced-conversion","tag-forced-marriage","tag-maira"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Escapee from forced marriage speaks out ahead of Intl Day of the Girl Child - ADF International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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