A report compiled by Franciscan Fr Lazar Aslam describes the plight of young girls and women who are subjected to rape, kidnapping and forced marriage in a country where the law rarely affords Christians equal rights.
Samiya was only 17 when she set off on 14 February this year to her job as a cleaner in a building in Lahore, Pakistan. At the end of the day, when she didn’t answer her phone, her mother went looking and found her dead on the floor. The owners of the flat where she was found claimed she had committed suicide, but a medical report revealed that Samiya had been gang-raped and then murdered.
Samiya’s family made a formal complaint, but justice can be slow in Pakistan, especially when the victims are members of religious minorities, such as Christians, and three months later no progress has been made on the case.
The story would be bad enough, were it not one of several described in a report compiled by Franciscan Fr Lazar Aslam and sent to the international charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). Also disturbing is the case involving Shifa, who was kidnapped in November 2023 by a neighbour who told the family that another man had taken their daughter. Shifa, aged 14, was then forcibly converted to Islam and married to the 48-year-old man, who later divorced her and returned her to the original kidnapper, who is suspected to have put her to work as a prostitute. Having been unsuccessful in their attempts to recover Shifa, the family contacted Fr Aslam, whose legal team is trying to locate her and reunite her with her parents.
A similar case occurred in January 2025 when a 12-year-old girl called Saba was abducted and forcibly converted by an older Muslim man who already had two other wives.
Occasionally dedicated legal teams manage to secure some victories in the courts, such as with 13-year-old Yarusha, who was tricked into marrying a 35-year-old man. Even if she had been aware of what documents she signed, underage marriage is illegal in Pakistan, so these would not be valid. Fortunately, Yarusha had not been kidnapped, and so her parents kept her secluded at home, to protect her. Police failed to cooperate, but the family asked for Fr Aslam’s team to intervene, and they managed to obtain a court ruling in favour of Yarusha’s family. Fr Aslam complains, however, that the culprit has not been held accountable for the suffering and pain he put the girl and her family through.
Fr Aslam’s report also highlights cases of rape, such as that of a 20-year-old girl called Asma who was lured into a car by an acquaintance, on 3 May 2025, then driven to a private residence and raped by four men. The criminals filmed the incident, and told Asma that they would spread the images if she did not fulfil future sexual demands.
“Asma and her family are now facing ongoing threats and intimidation. They live in constant fear due to the existence of the assault videos and the danger of further retaliation. Despite their repeated appeals, local law enforcement has provided minimal cooperation, and there has been no visible progress in the investigation”, writes Fr Aslam in his report to ACN.
Finally, and no less tragic, is the story of Shumaila who was travelling with her husband when the couple was stopped by armed men, and robbed, on 25 March. Upon realising that the victims were Christians, the three criminals stepped up their aggression, severely beating the husband and raping the young woman in front of him, before fleeing the scene.
“We demand justice for the victim family and call upon the state to provide safety and security to the family, who are poor and minority, while the culprits are powerful and have already issued threats”, writes Fr Aslam.
Reacting to the findings presented in Fr Aslam’s report, ACN executive president Regina Lynch called for more protection for religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly young girls.
“Christians make up only 1.3% of the population of Pakistan and are often among the poorest and most neglected citizens. ACN has many projects in Pakistan, and has repeatedly called attention to cases of discrimination, particularly faced by young girls. We continue to call on all our friends and benefactors for prayers for these innocent victims”, she told ACN.
“As a pontifical charity dedicated to protecting, supporting and advocating for Christians in need all over the world, we remain committed to speaking up on this issue which continues to plague the Christian community in Pakistan, and in other countries, and we ask that the political authorities do their utmost to protect them”, added Regina Lynch.
By Filipe d’Avillez.
