Global Outcry at UN Event: Protecting Pakistan's Religious Minority Women

At a pivotal UN event, activists and lawmakers demanded Pakistan protect religious minority women from forced conversions and marriages. Criticizing misuse of blasphemy laws, attendees urged international cooperation. Speakers stressed the need for safeguarding minorities’ rights, emphasizing freedom of belief and personal conscience.

Amid growing concerns over religious minority women's safety, an urgent call to protect their rights resonated at an event hosted at the Geneva Press Club. The event, titled 'Forced Conversions & Minority Women,' spotlighted issues faced in Pakistan, coinciding with the 62nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Organized by Global Human Rights Defence and CAP Pour la Liberte de Conscience, this gathering saw an array of voices, including lawmakers and human rights advocates, highlight the dangers religious minorities face, especially Hindu, Christian, and Baloch women. Participants urgently appealed for international intervention to halt forced conversions and marriages.

European MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen criticized Pakistan's blasphemy laws, citing their misuse. The event's discussions zeroed in on the coercive pressures undermining religious freedoms, as stakeholders called for international synergy to advance and protect minority rights.