Pakistan’s Hindu and Christian children being subjected to forced conversions

Fresh report by Pakistan’s National Commission on the Rights of Child

Islamabad (Pakistan) – Hindu and other minority community children in Pakistan are being subjected to forced religious conversions. These children are exploited, and if they refuse to convert, they are harassed, according to the latest report by Pakistan’s National Commission on the Rights of the Child.

1. Titled ‘Situation Analysis of Children from Minority Religions in Pakistan’, the report presents a grim picture of systemic bias, institutional neglect, and targeted abuse.

2. According to Christian Daily International, the report is based on the daily realities of thousands of Hindu and Christian children facing forced conversions, child marriages, child labour, and bonded labour, highlighting serious challenges.

Abduction of girls followed by forced marriage

The report states that girls from minority communities are abducted, forcibly converted, and married off to much older Muslim men. Such incidents occur not just occasionally but repeatedly. The lack of legal enforcement and the immense social pressure leave the victims with very few legal options.

Worst situation in Punjab province

Between April 2023 and December 2024, the Commission received 27 official complaints related to the murder, abduction, conversion, and marriage of underage girls. The situation was found to be worse in Punjab, the most populous province in the country. Between January 2022 and September 2024, 40% of recorded incidents of violence against minority children occurred here. Police data shows the victims included 547 Christians, 32 Hindus, 2 Ahmadis, and 2 Sikhs.

Discrimination in schools

Criticising the Single National Curriculum, the report states that it lacks religious inclusivity. Christian and Hindu students are forced to study Islamic subjects against their faith. Minority students in schools face social discrimination, feel hesitant to sit at the front of the class, or to ask questions. Their religious beliefs are mocked, and they are encouraged to accept Islam in exchange for rewards.

Forced into bonded labour

The report also documents bonded labour, where Hindu and Christian children are trapped in forced work at brick kilns or in agriculture. Their families have already been burdened for generations under poverty and discrimination. The state fails to provide them with protection.

Commission Chairperson Ayesha Raza Farooq acknowledged that inadequate efforts, lack of coordination, and limited political will have resulted in no significant improvement in the children’s plight.

Editorial Perspective

What the world has known for many years is now being acknowledged by Pakistan’s commission! The truth remains that nothing has changed over the years—and nothing is likely to change in the future!