A 14-year-old Christian girl who was kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam has been returned home after a breakthrough legal ruling. 

On 20th January 2020, Ariah was abducted at gunpoint by a Muslim neighbour and an accomplice in her home district of Okara, Pakistan. Her family were told that she would be sold into sex slavery if they fought for her release.

However, Ariah’s parents did not hide away. With representation from the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement, they submitted documents to the court to prove that Ariah had been kidnapped as a minor.

The records, including her birth certificate, were accepted by Justice Shahram Sarwar as valid government-issued evidence.

When Ariah finally appeared in court, she claimed to have converted to Islam and married her abductor of free will, yet her behaviour was disoriented and confused.

Rejecting the defence’s arguments and the claim of a lawful marriage, Justice Sarwar ruled in favour of the family and ordered Ariah’s immediate release and return to her mother’s custody.

Nasir Saeed, Director of CLAAS-UK, told Premier: “This is a great legal victory, not only for the family and our legal team, but for all human rights activists.

"Too often, courts accept claims under Shariah law and allow underage girls to remain with their abductors. In Islam, any girl who has started menstruating is sometimes wrongly considered an adult, leading to misuse of this interpretation to justify child marriages.

“Hundreds of girls are kidnapped each year – most are never returned. This ruling sends a powerful message of justice for vulnerable minority girls in Pakistan."