Pakistan Urged To End Forced Conversions, Child Marriages

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

ISLAMABAD (Worthy News) – A United Nations-appointed panel has urged Pakistan to take stronger action to end forced religious conversions and child marriages, warning that minority girls remain at high risk of coercion and abuse.

The independent experts, appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council, called on authorities to raise the minimum marriage age to 18 nationwide, criminalize forced religious conversion, and enforce laws on trafficking and sexual violence.

“We are deeply concerned that law enforcement authorities often dismiss complaints lodged by victims’ families, fail to investigate or prosecute forced conversions in a timely manner, or neglect to properly assess the age of victims,” the panel said.

IMPUNITY DRIVING ABUSE

The experts warned that impunity is allowing the practice to persist, particularly affecting girls from religious minorities.

They stressed that any change of religion must be free from coercion and that marriage must be based on full consent—conditions that cannot be met in cases involving minors.

Pakistan has one of the highest numbers of child brides in the world, with an estimated 19 million girls married before the age of 18, while roughly 18 percent of girls are married as children, according to international data.

The panel also urged Pakistan to provide stronger support systems for victims, including shelters, legal aid, and psychological care, while addressing underlying causes such as poverty, gender inequality, and discrimination.

MINORITY GIRLS MOST AT RISK

According to the findings, about 75 percent of reported victims of forced conversion through marriage were Hindu and roughly 25 percent Christian, with most cases recorded in Sindh province.

Adolescent girls between ages 14 and 18 were identified as particularly vulnerable, though some victims were reportedly younger.

At the same time, the National Commission for Justice and Peace renewed calls for legislation criminalizing forced conversions, citing widespread coercion, including threats, intimidation, and economic pressure.

The commission’s executive director, Naeem Yousaf Gill, said Pakistan lacks a specific law addressing forced religious conversion and urged authorities to adopt comprehensive legal reforms to protect minority women and girls.

LEGAL AND INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE

The report also highlighted concern over a court ruling that upheld the marriage of a 13-year-old Christian girl to an adult Muslim man, despite evidence she was under the legal age.

Church leaders said such cases raise serious questions about inconsistent enforcement of child marriage laws.

Pakistan ranks eighth on the Open Doors World Watch List of countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, with forced conversions and abductions cited among key concerns.

Pakistan’s Christian community numbers an estimated 3 to 4 million people, or about 1.5 to 2 percent of the population, making it one of the country’s largest religious minorities.

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