The ongoing case of Shifa Rafaqat, a 14-year-old student taken from her home in Sheikhupura on November 27, 2023, underscores Pakistan’s alarming failure to prevent child marriages and sexual exploitation of minor girls. Shaifa was taken by a neighbor, Najma Liaquat, who was later converted to Islam and married to 48-year-old Syed Shabbar Ali Gillani. Despite an FIR (No. 1967/23) filed under Section 365-B of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), authorities have yet to recover the minor girl, highlighting severe inefficiencies in addressing these human rights violations.

Rafaqat Masih, Shifa’s distraught father, recounted a deeply troubling encounter with police at the Sheikhupura station. When he sought help to recover his daughter, a police officer responded, “Your daughter will never return to you, Inshallah (if Allah wills),” showcasing that the police officer saw it as his religious duty to facilitate the conversion and child marriage of this Christian girl. This response illustrates a significant failure by authorities to recover minor girls and deliver justice.

Shifa’s mother fears her daughter may have been subjected to severe abuse by her 48-year-old so-called husband, who used forced conversion and marriage to cover up his crimes.

Joseph Jansen, Chairperson of Voice for Justice, expressed grave concern over the injustice in Shifa’s case. He emphasized that Shifa’s marriage is unequivocally illegal under the Child Marriage Restraint Act. Fraudulent documentation was used in court to conceal the real age of Shifa. During the court proceedings, Shifa’s ‘husband’ presented a conversion and marriage certificate claiming that Shifa was 18 years old, despite her........

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