In a harrowing incident, a 14-year-old-Hindu girl, Rakhi, has been abducted, raped, and forcibly converted to Islam. The perpetrator, identified as Muhammad Irfan, exemplifies a pattern of religious and gender-based violence that has become alarmingly commonplace in the country.
Organizations reveal a grim statistic: every year, approximately 1,000 women and girls from minority Christian and Hindu communities fall victim to similar atrocities. This shocking trend is marked by a disturbing routine where young girls are kidnapped, raped, converted to Islam, and subsequently married off to their abductors or other Muslim men.
The legal process offers little protection for these victims. When the families of abducted girls file police complaints, the kidnappers often retaliate by filing counter-FIRs, accusing the victim’s family of harassment. This manipulation of the legal system not only intimidates the families but also effectively silences the victims. Under immense pressure and threats, the girls are coerced into testifying in favor of their abductors, further perpetuating the cycle of violence and abuse.
According to the volunteer group Responsible for Equality and Liberty (REAL), an estimated 20 to 25 Hindu girls are forcibly converted every month.
The abduction of Rakhi is not an isolated case but part of a broader pattern of systematic oppression against minorities in Pakistan. The conspirators are the law enforcement agencies, judiciary and the Islamic society that take part in these heinous crimes disregarding the rights and lives of religious minorities.
The time has come for the international community to hold Pakistan accountable for its failure to protect its citizens from such egregious acts of violence and to demand justice for the countless victims of forced conversions and abductions.