UN Experts Urge Pakistan to Address Forced Conversions of Minority Girls

Three United Nations special rapporteurs recently called on the Pakistani government to take stronger action to protect young girls from abduction, forced religious conversion, and child marriage. During a side-event at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on October 1, experts emphasized that while legal frameworks exist, they remain ineffective without consistent enforcement and improved access to justice for religious minorities.

The event, organized by the Jubilee Campaign and the European Center for Law and Justice, featured testimonies from families of victims, including the mother of 13-year-old Maria Shahbaz. Her family reported that she disappeared in July 2025 and was later involved in a court case where she allegedly claimed to have converted and married an older man of her own volition. Her parents maintain that the situation is a result of abduction and have struggled to secure her return through the judicial system.

U.N. special rapporteur on minority issues Nicolas Levrat stated that Pakistan must uphold its international obligations regarding the rights of children. He argued that new legislation alone will not resolve the issue, advocating instead for better training for police and judicial authorities to combat the impunity currently surrounding these cases.