Pakistan Abduction, Abuse Cases Highlight Plight Of Christian Girls In Punjab

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

ISLAMABAD (Worthy News) – Reported abuses suffered by two Christian girls in Pakistan’s Punjab province have highlighted growing concern about the treatment of Christian women and children in the Islamic nation.

LEAD Ministries, a Christian advocacy organization, told Worthy News it learned of “a shocking case of child abduction, forced religious conversion, and child marriage” in village Chak No. 47/12-L near the town of Chichawatni, in Punjab’s Sahiwal District.

The group said a 13-year-old Christian girl, a sixth-grade student from a vulnerable family, was allegedly abducted and coerced into converting to Islam before being forcibly married to her reported abductor.

Pastor Imran Amanat of LEAD Ministries condemned the incident as “a severe violation of human rights,” urging Pakistani authorities to rescue the child and hold perpetrators accountable.

The family has reportedly faced threats warning them not to pursue legal action.

ABUSE OF MINOR MAID

In a separate case also reported in Punjab, local sources said another 13-year-old Christian girl, identified as Zarnaab, was allegedly tortured and beaten while working as a domestic maid for an influential household.

Advocates said her hair was forcibly cut after she accidentally broke utensils.

Farzana Imran of LEAD Ministries condemned what she called “inhumane treatment of underage Christian girls employed at nominal wages,” saying the abuse reflects deep-rooted discrimination against minorities in the Muslim majority nation.

Sardar Mushtaq Gill, founder of LEAD Ministries, told Worthy News that the incidents underscore “the urgent need for stronger protections for children and religious minorities in Pakistan,” where poverty and lack of education often leave Christian families vulnerable to exploitation.

LEAD Ministries and other human Human rights advocates have renewed calls for stricter enforcement of child labor laws and accountability for those accused of abusing or coercing minors.

MILLIONS FACING CHILD LABOR

About 3.3 million children in Pakistan are estimated to be in child labour, which includes physical, psychological, and economic exploitation, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF.

Some 264,000 children nationwide work as domestic workers — with girls, including Christians, forming a significant share, researchers say.

Studies and advocacy groups have also estimated that up to about 1,000 Christian and Hindu girls and young women are abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married to their abductors annually in Pakistan.

Experts caution that the real number may be higher because many cases go unreported.

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