Saba Masih is a teenage girl from Faisalabad, Pakistan.
The young Christian was walking with her older sister Muqadas on the morning of 20 May when the sisters were approached by four men, including their neighbour, Muhammad Yasir.
The men forced Saba into a rickshaw.
When the family reported the incident to the police, they were told that Saba had converted to Islam and married Yasir as his fourth wife. Despite the family’s pleas, the police did not interfere.
However, after extensive pressure from the community, action was finally taken. Saba was recovered from Yasir’s home and returned to her parents on 29 May. Yasir remains free.
Despite being returned home, Saba is still suffering from the emotional trauma of the abduction and forceful marriage.
According to reports from human rights activists, at least 1,000 women from religious minority groups are forcibly converted and married each year in Pakistan. It is believed that the number could be higher, since many cases go unreported.
Praise God that Saba has been found and safely returned to her family’s home.
Pray for peace, comfort, and healing as she faces a difficult recovery from this traumatic event.
Pray that the men responsible for this forced marriage will be held to account and that systemic change in Pakistan will bring about equality, protection, and justice for the vulnerable.
Sources: Voice of the Martyrs AU, Voice of the Martyrs Canada, Kross Konnection, CLAAS, AsiaNews
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