Sheikhupura [Pakistan], September 18 (ANI): Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) has condemned the alleged forced conversion and abduction of a 16-year-old Christian boy in Sheikhupura, Pakistan, and demanded his safe return home, alleging that he was subjected to sustained religious pressure and coercion at a local factory.
In a press release issued on Friday, HRFP said its Fact Findings team had gathered information indicating that the situation began approximately three months ago, when the boy became increasingly worried and told his family that Muslim adults at the factory were subjecting him to persistent religious pressure, allegedly with the support of clerics.
According to HRFP, on August 18, when the boy submitted his resignation due to his circumstances, his name appeared differently from his original name. The organisation said the boy's family alleged that the factory administration and workers collectively pressured him to continue working and allegedly warned that his family's safety and security could be at risk if he left.
Due to what the family described as blackmail and threats, the boy continued working at the factory, HRFP said.
The organisation said his parents became increasingly concerned about his behaviour and other occurrences. Whenever they questioned him, the boy allegedly told them that his family could be at risk if he stopped going to the factory.
During a visit to the family, HRFP's fact-finding team spoke with the minor's father and mother, who described their son as traumatised and significantly changed, according to the press release.
The parents further told HRFP that they learned that the minor had allegedly been forced to perform Islamic prayers five times a day during working hours.
According to the organisation, when the family approached police, officers told them that the minor was considered Muslim and that the matter would have to be pursued through the courts. During police questioning, the minor allegedly told officers that he wanted to return home. However, HRFP said factory workers subsequently pressured him to remain separated from his parents.
HRFP said it had been monitoring the case since the beginning and had been providing possible assistance to the family.
The organisation said the minor did not return home on September 10, following which his family approached police. According to HRFP, police initially showed reluctance to act.
The father submitted an application concerning his son's alleged forced conversion and abduction, but the family alleged that the contents of the application were subsequently changed.
According to HRFP, the complaint referred to kidnapping by unknown persons rather than identifying the factory workers and administration whom the family believed were involved.
On September 13, the local police station registered the FIR, stating that the minor had "possibly been kidnapped" after leaving home at approximately 8 a.m. on September 10 to go to work, HRFP said.
HRFP further stated that legal proceedings were subsequently initiated and that, with police cooperation, an affidavit was obtained from the father stating that he and his family would not harm the minor following his conversion to Islam.
Naveed Walter, President of HRFP, said allegations of discrimination, violence, abduction and forced conversion involving workplaces were not limited to the case of the minor. According to Walter, HRFP had received accounts in which members of religious minorities working in predominantly Muslim workplaces had allegedly faced pressure through various means, including accusations of theft, blackmail, promises of benefits, intimidation and abduction.
He also expressed concern about reports involving teenage girls who are allegedly abducted and subsequently subjected to forced marriage and religious conversion.
Walter said that the minor's case illustrates the vulnerability of minority workers, particularly minors, when mechanisms for protection and accountability are ineffective.
He said that the minor Christian child had been subjected to religious pressure for approximately three months, that his name was changed, and that he stopped returning home on September 10.
Walter further expressed concern that the police FIR reportedly described the circumstances as a possible kidnapping while the family had identified factory workers and management as being involved. He also referred to the family's account that the minor told police officers during questioning that he wanted to return home.
Walter said Christians, Hindus and other religious minorities can be particularly vulnerable in workplaces where employers or supervisors belong to the religious majority. He emphasised that workplaces should not be used as environments for religious coercion, intimidation or forced conversion.
Walter referred to Sections 503 and 506 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), which address criminal intimidation and punishment for criminal intimidation, respectively. He said these provisions may be relevant where threats are allegedly used to cause alarm, compel a person to do something they are not legally required to do, or prevent them from exercising a legal right.
Walter questioned why authorities had not taken stronger action in cases involving alleged forced conversion, intimidation and the separation of minors from their families. He further expressed concern that such cases could affect Pakistan's international human rights commitments and its relationships under international agreements and trade arrangements like GSP+ and others.
He also referred to the killing of another child labourer in 1995, arguing that the case remains an important reminder of the serious consequences that violations involving children and workplaces can have at both national and international levels.
"Why is the government not taking action on such issues?" Walter asked.
HRFP called on the relevant authorities to take immediate and impartial action and investigate the allegations against the factory workers and administration. The organisation also called for protection of the minor's legal rights as a minor and for authorities to determine through due process whether he was subjected to coercion, intimidation, abduction or forced religious conversion.
HRFP further urged authorities to ensure that the minor is not unlawfully detained or prevented from contacting or returning to his family under threat. It also called for any investigation into the matter to be conducted transparently, in accordance with law and with due regard for the rights of a minor. (ANI)
HRFP condemns alleged forced conversion, abduction of minor Christian boy in Pakistan
