Islamabad (Pakistan) [India], August 10 (HBTV): A new report by Pakistan's National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC) has highlighted widespread discrimination faced by minority children, particularly Christians and Hindus, within the country.

Titled Situation Analysis of Children from Minority Religions in Pakistan, the report paints a grim picture of systemic bias, institutional neglect, and targeted abuse. It calls for urgent government intervention, though concerns remain over whether the appeal will lead to meaningful action.

According to Christian Daily International, the report points to severe challenges faced by religious minority children, including forced conversions, child marriages, and child labour, often in bonded conditions. Among the most concerning findings is the continued abduction of underage girls from minority communities, who are then forcibly converted and married to older Muslim men.

The report states that victims have few legal options due to institutional bias, lack of enforcement, and public pressure. Between April 2023 and December 2024, the NCRC received 27 official complaints involving murder, abduction, forced religious conversion, and underage marriage, though actual numbers are feared to be far higher due to underreporting.

Punjab, the most populous province, recorded 40 per cent of all reported violence against minority children between January 2022 and September 2024. Police data cited in the report shows that 547 Christians, 32 Hindus, two Ahmadis, and two Sikhs were among the victims, along with 99 others.

The education system, the report notes, further entrenches exclusion. The Single National Curriculum lacks religious inclusivity, compelling Christian and Hindu students to study Islamic content that contradicts their beliefs. This negatively impacts academic performance and fosters alienation.

Minority students also face social discrimination in schools. According to testimonies cited by Christian Daily International, children from minority and oppressed caste backgrounds are often ridiculed, discouraged from participating in class, and even barred from drinking water from shared sources. They are sometimes told to convert to Islam for ‘divine rewards’.

The report also highlights bonded labour as a major concern, with Christian and Hindu children trapped in forced work at brick kilns and in agriculture. These children, often from families in generational poverty, receive little state protection.

The NCRC has called for immediate reforms, including legal protections against forced conversion and child marriage, inclusive education policies, and enforcement of child labour laws. However, Chairperson Ayesha Raza Farooq acknowledged that progress has been slow due to fragmented efforts, poor coordination, and limited political will.

Pirbhu Lal Satyani, the NCRC’s representative for minority rights in Sindh, described these children as ‘the most marginalised’, facing ‘stigma, stereotyping, and structural exclusion’.

The findings, according to the report, should serve as a wake-up call for both Pakistan and the international community. Despite the state’s claims of religious tolerance, the documented reality shows that minority children remain among the most vulnerable in the country.

(ANI)