Geneva [Switzerland], September 22 (ANI): Sambhali Trust has raised concerns over the protection of minority communities, particularly women and girls facing forced conversion and forced marriage, at the 63rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
Addressing the Council during the General Debate under Item 4, Govind Singh Rathore of Sambhali Trust highlighted the experiences of Hindu minority families in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. He said many of these families belong to Bhil communities and came to India after leaving difficult circumstances in Pakistan.
Drawing on Sambhali Trust’s grassroots engagement with these communities, Rathore emphasised the importance of listening to the experiences of minorities and ensuring that their concerns receive appropriate attention.
“This is not against Pakistan’s people. It is a request to hear its minorities,” he said.
Rathore also referred to findings reported by UN experts in April 2026, according to which approximately three-quarters of women and girls affected by forced conversion through marriage in 2025 were Hindu, while nearly four in five reported incidents occurred in Sindh.
The statement also acknowledged institutional developments in Pakistan, including the establishment of a statutory National Commission for Minorities Rights in 2025, as well as concerns raised by Pakistan’s National Commission for Human Rights regarding forced conversion through marriage.
Rathore called upon relevant institutions to ensure that complaints involving forced conversion and forced marriage are investigated fairly and that girls are protected from such practices.
He also drew attention to the lives of families who have begun rebuilding their lives in India, reaffirming Sambhali Trust’s support for them.
“Here in India, these families are beginning again. We stand beside them,” he said.
Through its intervention, Sambhali Trust reiterated the importance of placing the experiences of vulnerable and minority communities at the centre of human rights discussions and strengthening institutional mechanisms for their protection.
Sambhali Trust is a grassroots organisation working with marginalised women, girls, children, gender minorities and vulnerable communities in Western Rajasthan.
Its work includes education, livelihoods, empowerment, legal support and community development, with a focus on helping marginalised communities build safer and more self-reliant lives. (ANI)
Sambhali Trust raises concerns over minority women in Pakistan at UNHRC
