New Delhi: A 13-year-old Christian girl’s forced marriage to her abductor has pushed the European Parliament into action. European lawmakers on Thursday adopted a resolution condemning the abduction, forced religious conversion, and child marriage of underage girls in Pakistan, urging the government to take stronger action to protect girls from religious minorities.
According to the European Parliament, the resolution centres on the case of 13-year-old Maria Shahbaz, a Pakistani Christian girl who was abducted, converted to Islam, and forcibly married to her abductor in March 2026. Lawmakers say her situation reflects a broader pattern of abuse affecting minority communities across the country.
Maria Shahbaz disappeared in July 2025. Her family says she was coerced into converting to Islam and marrying a much older Muslim man. Although documents showed that Maria was still a minor, a court decided in February 2026 that she should remain with the man accused of abducting her.
Speaking after the vote, European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) shadow rapporteur Bert-Jan Ruissen said, “The case of Maria Shahbaz is a painful reminder that persecution is not an abstract issue. It affects young girls whose freedom, faith and childhood are taken away from them. Pakistan must ensure Maria’s immediate protection, guarantee a fair legal process and enforce its laws against child marriage, abduction and forced religious conversion.”
Ruissen added, “The EU must use its political and trade relations with Pakistan to insist on real progress. Girls like Maria must be protected and returned to safety, not handed back to those accused of abusing them.”
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) called for Shahbaz to be given access to legal representation, reunited with her family, and provided psychological support, according to the parliament. They also condemned similar abuses against underage girls from religious minorities, describing her case as emblematic of the wider human rights violations minorities face in Pakistan. The parliament pointed to UN data from 2025 showing that roughly three-quarters of women and girls affected by forced conversion through marriage were Hindu, while about a quarter were Christian.
The resolution urges Pakistani authorities to fully roll out the country’s national framework for ending child marriage nationwide, noting that some provinces have already done so, and calls for a national mechanism to handle complaints from families of girls who have been abducted or forcibly converted, the parliament said.
“MEPs call for the protection of religious minorities and urge Pakistan’s government to ensure that all cases involving minors or allegations of coercion are subject to transparent and independent investigations. The perpetrators must be prosecuted and Pakistan’s judicial framework strengthened, they add, and abducted girls must be able to return safely,” the European Parliament said in a statement.