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First Post
16 hours ago
- Politics
- First Post
Bonded labour, forced conversions & more: The abuse faced by minority children in Pakistan
A report by Pakistan's National Commission on the Rights of the Child reveals severe discrimination against minority children, especially Christians and Hindus, within the Islamic Republic. It presents a grim picture of how these minors endure systemic bias, institutional neglect, and targeted abuse, often with little to no legal protection read more The document, titled 'Situation Analysis of Children from Minority Religions in Pakistan', offers a stark account of how deep-rooted bias, neglect, and targeted abuse have become part of life for these children. Image for Representation/Reuters Pakistan's National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC) has released a hard-hitting report that lays bare the everyday reality of discrimination faced by minority children, particularly Christians and Hindus, across the Islamic country. The document, titled 'Situation Analysis of Children from Minority Religions in Pakistan', offers a stark account of how deep-rooted bias, neglect, and targeted abuse have become part of life for these children. It points to failures in law enforcement, bias in institutions, and a lack of meaningful protections for those most at risk. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It urges the government to take immediate action, though there are doubts over whether this will lead to real change or just remain promises on paper. Here's what the report found. Forced conversions, abductions One of the most alarming findings in the NCRC report is the continued abduction of underage girls from minority communities, who are then forcibly converted to Islam and married to older Muslim men. 'The victims have few legal options due to bias in law enforcement, overwhelming social pressure and lack of political will,' the report states, as cited by Christian Daily International. Between April 2023 and December 2024, the commission received 27 official complaints involving murder, abduction, forced conversion, and child marriage. But the real scale of abuse is likely much greater, as many families remain silent out of fear of retaliation. Punjab emerged as the worst-hit province, accounting for 40 per cent of reported violence against minority children between January 2022 and September 2024. Police data cited in the report lists 547 Christian victims, 32 Hindus, two Ahmadis, and two Sikhs, along with 99 others. Also read: 'Exodus: Is Pakistan's Hindu community leaving Sindh?' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Bonded labourers trapping generations The report also highlighted the entrenched practice of bonded labour, where Christian and Hindu children are forced to work in brick kilns and agriculture. Families already struggling with generational poverty and discrimination receive little to no protection from the state. According to a July report by The Christian Post, Pakistan's Christian minority, making up just 1.27 per cent of the population, faces severe religious discrimination, poor access to education, and economic exclusion. Many families end up in bonded labour after taking small loans, often between $800 (Rs 70,078) and $1,000 (Rs 87,597), to cover essentials like food, rent, or medical expenses. Pakistan's National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC) report says minority families are already struggling with generational poverty and discrimination receive little to no protection from the state. File image. AFP They earn as little as $3 (Rs 262) to $5 (Rs 437) an hour, but interest deductions reduce their actual take-home pay to around $1.50 (Rs 131) a day, according to Global Christian Relief. Schools that exclude instead of protect Rather than being safe spaces, schools often reinforce the discrimination that minority children face. The report notes that both teachers and classmates can ridicule or isolate students once their religious identity becomes known. Testimonies collected in the report and shared by Christian Daily International describe how minority and lower-caste children avoid sitting at the front of classrooms, hesitate to ask questions, and sometimes won't drink water from shared glasses out of fear of being mocked or pressured to convert. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The NCRC report notes that both teachers and classmates can ridicule or isolate students once their religious identity becomes known. File image/AFP 'They also have to deal with curricula that could reinforce negative preconceptions about their religion. Isolation, below-average academic achievement, and, in many cases, school dropout are the expected outcomes of such an educational setting,' the report states. The NCRC criticised Pakistan's Single National Curriculum for erasing religious diversity, forcing minority students to study Islamic content that conflicts with their beliefs, ultimately impacting their grades and future prospects. Pirbhu Lal Satyani, the NCRC's minority rights representative for Sindh, described these children as 'the most marginalised,' facing 'stigma, stereotyping, and structural exclusion.' Chairperson Ayesha Raza Farooq acknowledged that progress has been slow, citing 'fragmented efforts, lack of coordination, and limited political will' as major obstacles. In its recommendations, the NCRC called on the government to strengthen legal protections, expand social safety nets, adopt inclusive education policies, and take targeted measures to end bonded child labour and forced religious conversions. With input from agencies
Economic Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Convert or suffer: Pakistan's Christian and Hindu children trapped in forced conversions and child labour rings
Synopsis A new report by Pakistan's National Commission on the Rights of the Child reveals widespread discrimination against Christian and Hindu children. The report highlights severe challenges, including forced conversions, child marriages, and bonded labor, particularly in Punjab. ANI "Convert or suffer": Pakistan's Christian and Hindu children trapped in forced conversions and child labour rings A new report by Pakistan's own National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC) has brought to light the deep-rooted and widespread discrimination faced by minority children, especially Christians and Hindus, within the Islamic Republic. Titled "Situation Analysis of Children from Minority Religions in Pakistan," the report offers a grim picture of systemic bias, institutional neglect, and targeted abuse. It calls for urgent government intervention, though scepticism remains over whether that call will be met with anything beyond lip to Christian Daily International, the report points to "severe challenges" faced by religious minority children, which are not isolated incidents but part of a disturbing nationwide pattern of marginalisation and abuse. Forced conversions, child marriages, and child labour, particularly in bonded conditions, remain a daily reality for thousands of Christian and Hindu the most horrifying revelations in the NCRC's findings, highlighted by Christian Daily International, is the continued practice of abducting underage girls from minority communities and forcibly converting and marrying them to older Muslim men. The report explicitly states that "few legal options" exist for victims due to institutional bias, lack of law enforcement, and overwhelming public pressure. This is not a legal gray area; it is a human rights April 2023 to December 2024, the NCRC received 27 official complaints involving cases of murder, abduction, forced religious conversion, and underage marriage, all targeting minority children. And these are merely the reported cases. Real numbers are feared to be significantly higher, as families often remain silent out of fear of retaliation or further victimisation by Daily International notes that the situation is most dire in Punjab, the country's most populous province, where 40% of the total reported violence against minority children occurred between January 2022 and September 2024. Police data cited by the report reveals that 547 Christians, 32 Hindus, two Ahmadis, and two Sikhs were among the victims, along with 99 others. The educational system, rather than offering a path to escape, only reinforces the exclusion of religious minorities. The NCRC report slams the Single National Curriculum for its "absence of religious inclusion," forcing Christian and Hindu students to study Islamic content that contradicts their faith. Christian Daily International further highlights how this negatively affects their GPA and academic progress, creating a culture of failure and still, minority students face social discrimination within schools. According to the report, both teachers and classmates often ridicule or isolate children once their religious identity is known. As per testimonies collected in the report and shared by Christian Daily International, children from oppressed caste and minority backgrounds are hesitant to sit at the front of classrooms, ask questions, or even drink water from shared glasses. They are mocked for their beliefs and told to convert to Islam to receive "divine rewards."The findings expose the brutal truth: Pakistan's minority children are not just being left behind; they are being deliberately sidelined and systemically report also draws attention to bonded labour, with Christian and Hindu children often trapped in the vicious cycle of forced work at brick kilns or in agriculture. Their families, already burdened by intergenerational poverty and discrimination, are offered little to no protection by the Daily International underscores the NCRC's strong call for immediate reforms: legal protections against forced conversion and child marriage, inclusive education policies, and enforcement of child labour laws. However, as NCRC Chairperson Ayesha Raza Farooq acknowledged, progress has been dismal due to "fragmented efforts, lack of coordination, and limited political will."Pirbhu Lal Satyani, the NCRC's representative for minority rights in Sindh, told Christian Daily International that the report was a comprehensive effort to map the many layers of vulnerability minority children face. He described these children as "the most marginalised," facing "stigma, stereotyping, and structural exclusion."The NCRC's findings are a national shame, but the international community, including watchdogs and religious rights groups, should see them as a call to action. Pakistan has long presented itself as a nation of religious tolerance. But as this government-backed report now confirms, that narrative crumbles when confronted with the reality faced by Christian and Hindu can no longer claim ignorance or denial. Its institutions have documented the crisis. The question is: will it act, or continue to be complicit?
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Pak's rights body report says minorities face ‘forced conversions, child labour'
A new report by Pakistan's own National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC) has brought to light the deep-rooted and widespread discrimination faced by minority children, especially Christians and Hindus, within the Islamic Republic. Titled "Situation Analysis of Children from Minority Religions in Pakistan," the report offers a grim picture of systemic bias, institutional neglect, and targeted abuse. It calls for urgent government intervention, though scepticism remains over whether that call will be met with anything beyond lip service. From April 2023 to December 2024, the NCRC received 27 official complaints involving cases of murder, abduction, forced religious conversion, and underage marriage, all targeting minority children.(AFP file) According to Christian Daily International, the report points to "severe challenges" faced by religious minority children, which are not isolated incidents but part of a disturbing nationwide pattern of marginalisation and abuse. Forced conversions, child marriages, and child labour, particularly in bonded conditions, remain a daily reality for thousands of Christian and Hindu children. Among the most horrifying revelations in the NCRC's findings, highlighted by Christian Daily International, is the continued practice of abducting underage girls from minority communities and forcibly converting and marrying them to older Muslim men. The report explicitly states that "few legal options" exist for victims due to institutional bias, lack of law enforcement, and overwhelming public pressure. This is not a legal gray area; it is a human rights catastrophe. From April 2023 to December 2024, the NCRC received 27 official complaints involving cases of murder, abduction, forced religious conversion, and underage marriage, all targeting minority children. And these are merely the reported cases. Real numbers are feared to be significantly higher, as families often remain silent out of fear of retaliation or further victimisation by authorities. Christian Daily International notes that the situation is most dire in Punjab, the country's most populous province, where 40% of the total reported violence against minority children occurred between January 2022 and September 2024. Police data cited by the report reveals that 547 Christians, 32 Hindus, two Ahmadis, and two Sikhs were among the victims, along with 99 others. The educational system, rather than offering a path to escape, only reinforces the exclusion of religious minorities. The NCRC report slams the Single National Curriculum for its "absence of religious inclusion," forcing Christian and Hindu students to study Islamic content that contradicts their faith. Christian Daily International further highlights how this negatively affects their GPA and academic progress, creating a culture of failure and alienation. Also Read | UK parliamentary panel slams Pakistan for state-backed persecution of minorities Worse still, minority students face social discrimination within schools. According to the report, both teachers and classmates often ridicule or isolate children once their religious identity is known. As per testimonies collected in the report and shared by Christian Daily International, children from oppressed caste and minority backgrounds are hesitant to sit at the front of classrooms, ask questions, or even drink water from shared glasses. They are mocked for their beliefs and told to convert to Islam to receive "divine rewards." The findings expose the brutal truth: Pakistan's minority children are not just being left behind; they are being deliberately sidelined and systemically abused. The report also draws attention to bonded labour, with Christian and Hindu children often trapped in the vicious cycle of forced work at brick kilns or in agriculture. Their families, already burdened by intergenerational poverty and discrimination, are offered little to no protection by the state. Christian Daily International underscores the NCRC's strong call for immediate reforms: legal protections against forced conversion and child marriage, inclusive education policies, and enforcement of child labour laws. However, as NCRC Chairperson Ayesha Raza Farooq acknowledged, progress has been dismal due to "fragmented efforts, lack of coordination, and limited political will." Pirbhu Lal Satyani, the NCRC's representative for minority rights in Sindh, told Christian Daily International that the report was a comprehensive effort to map the many layers of vulnerability minority children face. He described these children as "the most marginalised," facing "stigma, stereotyping, and structural exclusion." The NCRC's findings are a national shame, but the international community, including watchdogs and religious rights groups, should see them as a call to action. Pakistan has long presented itself as a nation of religious tolerance. But as this government-backed report now confirms, that narrative crumbles when confronted with the reality faced by Christian and Hindu children. Pakistan can no longer claim ignorance or denial. Its institutions have documented the crisis. The question is: will it act, or continue to be complicit?
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Convert or suffer: Pakistan's Christian and Hindu children trapped in forced conversions and child labour rings
A new report by Pakistan's own National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC) has brought to light the deep-rooted and widespread discrimination faced by minority children, especially Christians and Hindus, within the Islamic Republic. Titled "Situation Analysis of Children from Minority Religions in Pakistan," the report offers a grim picture of systemic bias, institutional neglect, and targeted abuse. It calls for urgent government intervention, though scepticism remains over whether that call will be met with anything beyond lip service. According to Christian Daily International, the report points to "severe challenges" faced by religious minority children, which are not isolated incidents but part of a disturbing nationwide pattern of marginalisation and abuse. Forced conversions, child marriages, and child labour, particularly in bonded conditions, remain a daily reality for thousands of Christian and Hindu children. 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The report explicitly states that "few legal options" exist for victims due to institutional bias, lack of law enforcement, and overwhelming public pressure. This is not a legal gray area; it is a human rights catastrophe. From April 2023 to December 2024, the NCRC received 27 official complaints involving cases of murder, abduction, forced religious conversion, and underage marriage, all targeting minority children. And these are merely the reported cases. Real numbers are feared to be significantly higher, as families often remain silent out of fear of retaliation or further victimisation by authorities. Christian Daily International notes that the situation is most dire in Punjab, the country's most populous province, where 40% of the total reported violence against minority children occurred between January 2022 and September 2024. Police data cited by the report reveals that 547 Christians, 32 Hindus, two Ahmadis, and two Sikhs were among the victims, along with 99 others. Live Events The educational system, rather than offering a path to escape, only reinforces the exclusion of religious minorities. The NCRC report slams the Single National Curriculum for its "absence of religious inclusion," forcing Christian and Hindu students to study Islamic content that contradicts their faith. Christian Daily International further highlights how this negatively affects their GPA and academic progress, creating a culture of failure and alienation. Worse still, minority students face social discrimination within schools. According to the report, both teachers and classmates often ridicule or isolate children once their religious identity is known. As per testimonies collected in the report and shared by Christian Daily International, children from oppressed caste and minority backgrounds are hesitant to sit at the front of classrooms, ask questions, or even drink water from shared glasses. They are mocked for their beliefs and told to convert to Islam to receive "divine rewards." The findings expose the brutal truth: Pakistan's minority children are not just being left behind; they are being deliberately sidelined and systemically abused. The report also draws attention to bonded labour, with Christian and Hindu children often trapped in the vicious cycle of forced work at brick kilns or in agriculture. Their families, already burdened by intergenerational poverty and discrimination, are offered little to no protection by the state. Christian Daily International underscores the NCRC's strong call for immediate reforms: legal protections against forced conversion and child marriage, inclusive education policies, and enforcement of child labour laws. However, as NCRC Chairperson Ayesha Raza Farooq acknowledged, progress has been dismal due to "fragmented efforts, lack of coordination, and limited political will." Pirbhu Lal Satyani, the NCRC's representative for minority rights in Sindh, told Christian Daily International that the report was a comprehensive effort to map the many layers of vulnerability minority children face. He described these children as "the most marginalised," facing "stigma, stereotyping, and structural exclusion." The NCRC's findings are a national shame, but the international community, including watchdogs and religious rights groups, should see them as a call to action. Pakistan has long presented itself as a nation of religious tolerance. But as this government-backed report now confirms, that narrative crumbles when confronted with the reality faced by Christian and Hindu children. Pakistan can no longer claim ignorance or denial. Its institutions have documented the crisis. The question is: will it act, or continue to be complicit?
Business Recorder
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
World Day Against Child Labour marked: Collective action needed to provide secure future for our children: President
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari said that child labour is a global challenge that demands collective action by government and civil society to provide a secure future for our children. 'Pakistan, as a signatory to various international conventions aimed at eliminating child labour, is fully committed to ending the exploitation of children. Today, we observed the World Day Against Child Labour, which reminds us to make efforts to protect every child from exploitation and to build a future where children can learn, play, and grow in a safe and dignified environment,' the president said in his message. He said that Pakistan has taken several steps to prevent exploitation and help affected children. He said that Pakistan has enacted the National Commission on Rights of Child Act (2017), the ICT Child Protection Act (2018), the Juvenile Justice System Act (2018), the Employment of Children's Act (1991), and the Domestic Workers Act (2002). He said that Pakistan has also established effective mechanisms and service units for the prevention of child exploitation, child labour, and providing care and rehabilitation to the affected children. He said that such interventions also include the establishment of the National Commission on the Rights of the Child, the Child Protection Institute, and the Child Welfare Bureaus. While the government continues to enforce laws and policies, ending child labour is a joint responsibility, he said, 'I urge employers to strictly follow child labour laws and ensure that their workplaces are free from exploitation. I call on parents and guardians to prioritise the education of their children instead of short-term gains. I urge schools and teachers to identify children at risk of dropping out and keep them in classrooms. The media needs to raise awareness about Child Labour, and philanthropists and civil society should support vulnerable families so that no child is forced into labour due to poverty.' 'Today, I also call upon the international community to pay urgent attention to the suffering of children in conflict zones such as Gaza. Thousands of innocent children in these areas have been displaced, injured, or orphaned due to violence and aggression by the occupation forces. Many children face hunger, trauma, and a heightened risk of being pushed into child labour. These children need immediate global support, protection, and justice,' the president said. He urged government institutions, civil society, human rights defenders, the media, United Nations agencies, educators, parents, and Ulema to take practical steps to end child labour. 'Together, we can dismantle the systems that exploit children and create a Pakistan and a world where every child is free to dream, learn, and build a brighter future,' he said. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
