Islamabad, April 1 – Christian groups and human rights activists staged a protest in Karachi, Pakistan, expressing deep concern over what they described as a rising wave of forced marriages and religious conversions involving young girls from their community across the country. A leading minority rights group, Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), said on Wednesday that the demonstration, organized by the National Christian Party, Gawahi Mission Trust, and other civil society groups on March 29, brought together families and faith leaders from across Karachi, with participants raising slogans such as "Protect our daughters."
VOPM stated that the protesters alleged that young girls, some barely in their teens, were being abducted, coerced into converting, and married off to significantly older men. They further argued that "these incidents were not only a grave violation of human rights but also an assault on the very notion of childhood."
One of the speakers, according to VOPM, said, "We are a peaceful community, but our daughters live in fear – fear of being taken, fear of never returning home."
Their demands were clear: "Enforce the existing laws, pass stronger legislation where gaps remain, and ensure the right to safety, faith, and dignity for every citizen – regardless of religion."
VOPM noted that the demonstrators also pointed to a recent controversial ruling by a Pakistani court that upheld the marriage of a forcibly converted 13-year-old Christian girl, Maria, to a Muslim man accused of kidnapping her, deepening uncertainty and fear within minority communities.
One of the participants questioned, "How can a child, who legally cannot obtain her own ID card, be considered mature enough to decide on religion or marriage?"
The protesters called on the Chief Justice of Pakistan's Federal Constitutional Court to review the decision, while urging the country's President and Prime Minister to take immediate notice.
Beyond legal reform, VOPM said, the participants "appealed for moral solidarity – for Muslim, Christian, Hindu, and Sikh communities alike to stand together in the face of injustice" across Pakistan.
One prominent Pakistani Christian activist, Sultan Sardar Bhatti, reportedly said, "We are not asking for privilege. We are asking for protection – for the right of every child to dream without fear."