Systemic Vulnerabilities Fuel Forced Conversions: Study

News Desk

Islamabad: The National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), in collaboration with the Legal Aid Society (LAS), has unveiled a landmark research report and documentary exposing the systemic drivers behind forced conversions through marriage (FCM) in Pakistan, a practice disproportionately targeting women and girls from religious minority communities.

Launched at a national dialogue on Monday, the report draws on survivors’ testimonies and highlights how perpetrators exploit religious duty, ideological grooming, trafficking networks, sexual motivations, and media sensationalism to perpetuate forced conversions. Survivors’ vulnerabilities—ranging from childhood cognitive immaturity and adolescent risk-taking to gender-based discrimination and economic marginalization—were identified as key enablers of this abuse.

Chairperson NCHR Rabiya Javeri Agha described FCM as a “deeply entrenched problem” that persists despite constitutional protections of religious freedom. “It reflects a complex interplay of socio-cultural, economic, and political factors, sustained by systemic vulnerabilities and societal pressures,” she said. The Commission, she added, has intervened in multiple cases where minor girls were abducted, forcibly converted, and married off, offering relief to victims and families through Suo Motu action.

LAS CEO Haya Emaan Zahid warned that FCM leaves survivors with lifelong trauma, including psychological scars, sexual violence, and social ostracism. “This practice not only devastates individuals but erodes communal solidarity, threatening cultural heritage and the ability of religious minorities to freely practice their faith,” she said.

The report’s launch featured remarks from Justice Dr. Syed Muhammad Anwer, a documentary screening by filmmaker Aisha Gazdar, and a panel discussion led by LAS Director Maliha Zia. Legal experts, minority rights activists, and criminal justice professionals stressed the urgency of stronger legal enforcement, community protections, and curbing the glorification of forced conversions in media discourse.

The research underscores that without dismantling impunity for perpetrators and addressing vulnerabilities of survivors, FCM will remain an unchecked violation of fundamental rights in Pakistan.