Asia Bibi Has Won Her Battle, But Many More Christian Minorities Struggle For Justice In Pakistan

Ewelina U. Ochab

In recent years, the world observed how Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, fought for justice in Pakistan. She was accused of making blasphemous statements during an argument about drinking water from a well. She was acquitted last year after spending eight years on death row. Several months later, she has managed to leave Pakistan in pursuit of a safe haven. She endured years of struggle and threats made to her life. While her story is one that was ultimately successful, there are more such Asia Bibis in Pakistan, members of religious minorities who bravely stand up to laws and procedures (or lack thereof) that are designed to give them little if any redress.

This type of situation is not only confined to cases of blasphemy.

The case of minority girls and young women abducted, forcibly converted and forcibly married to Muslim men deserves attention too.

Just recently, a 16-year-old girl Christian girl, Sheeza Riasat, faced exactly this fate. Sheeza Riasat was reportedly abducted from her family home, by armed men, at the age of just 15. (It is noteworthy that the legal age for a girl to marry in Pakistan is 16. Only in April 2019, the Pakistan Senate voted on the Child Marriage Restraint Bill which would put an end to child marriage and increase the marriage age for girls to 18.) She was converted to Islam and forcibly married to a Muslim man on February 12, 2019.

While Sheeza was under the age of 16 when she was forcibly married, her age in the marriage certificate was reportedly indicated as 18. There are further concerns surrounding the case. For example, the marriage certificate is dated one day before her abduction.

Although her family reported the abduction and forced marriage to the police, the police reportedly have inextricably dropped the case. As a result, the family have taken the case to court. Sheeza’s parents are fighting for her return. The case is expected to be heard soon.

It is crucial to emphasize that Sheeza’s case is not an isolated one.

According to the Movement for Solidarity and Peace (MSP), a human rights organization located in Pakistan, around 1,000 Christian and Hindu girls and women are kidnapped each year, forced to convert and to marry Muslim men. The victims are usually girls and women between the ages of 12 and 25. Despite these already shocking statistics, the number of victims may be even higher as many cases remain unreported, often due to the families’ limited financial means.

Considering other such cases in Pakistan, there is little hope that the situation will change. For example, Laveeza Bibi was 23 when she was abducted from her home by two armed men. She was forced to convert to Islam and marry one of her abductors. It was reported that despite her family’s attempts to report her abduction, the police were reluctant to accept and investigate the case. A Christian girl, Mehwish, was kidnapped when she was just 14. It was reported that the police have not taken any steps to investigate her case or made any attempt to rescue her. Two teenage girls, Farzana and Sehrish, aged 14 and 16 respectively, were abducted and subjected to gang rape perpetrated by three Muslim men. Despite one of the perpetrators being apprehended, the family was pressured to settle the case outside of court. Similarly, the case of Maria Sarfraz, an 11-year-old girl abducted and gang-raped for three days, was forcibly settled outside of court.

Pakistan must take steps to ensure that it combats child marriage. It must ensure that the recent Child Marriage Restraint Bill passes through the National Assembly. However, considering that even the current minimum marriage age for girls at 16 is not being enforced, more needs to be done to ensure that the higher marriage age is adhered to. This could be achieved by strict punishment for failure to do so. Furthermore, Pakistan needs to ensure that any alleged cases of child marriage (but also of forced marriage) are adequately investigated and the victims have effective legal avenues for redress.

Nonetheless, legislation and its enforcement can do only as much. Men need to be educated that a forced wife is not a wife, she is a slave.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewelinaochab/2019/06/20/asia-bibi-has-won-her-battle-but-many-more-christian-minorities-struggle-for-justice-in-pakistan/#5e1ffac863ee