• Latest
  • All
Pakistani women

Christian women: here are the countries where violence is (almost) legal

January 17, 2022
Today it is Trump; tomorrow it is you and me

Today it is Trump; tomorrow it is you and me

June 9, 2023
Instagram’s flawed algorithms accused of facilitating child pornography spread

Instagram’s flawed algorithms accused of facilitating child pornography spread

June 8, 2023
Ethnic minority parents protest LGBT curriculum in Glendale School Board meeting

Ethnic minority parents protest LGBT curriculum in Glendale School Board meeting

June 8, 2023
California Catholics protest lawmakers’ recognition of anti-Catholic drag performer

California Catholics protest lawmakers’ recognition of anti-Catholic drag performer

June 8, 2023
Father Martin’s pride month tweets spark controversy among Catholic community

Father Martin’s pride month tweets spark controversy among Catholic community

June 8, 2023
Christian protester arrested for quoting scripture at LGBT pride event

Christian protester arrested for quoting scripture at LGBT pride event

June 8, 2023
A new religious order in the making: sisters champion pro-life movement

A new religious order in the making: sisters champion pro-life movement

June 7, 2023
Controversy ignites over new ‘LGBTQ+ Pride Month Fun Patch’ in Girl Scouts

Controversy ignites over new ‘LGBTQ+ Pride Month Fun Patch’ in Girl Scouts

June 7, 2023
The Chosen: a storm over LGBT flag on Christian TV series set

The Chosen: a storm over LGBT flag on Christian TV series set

June 7, 2023
Oklahoma sanctions first ever religious charter school

Oklahoma sanctions first ever religious charter school

June 7, 2023
  • About iFamNews
  • Contact

Navigation Button Subscribe

  • Subscribe
June 9, 2023
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
  • English
    • Italiano
    • Español
    • Français
    • Deutsch
    • Polski
    • српски
    • Русский

Navigation Button Donate

  • Donate
International Family News Network (IFN)
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • Life
  • Family
  • Culture
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Science
  • Shows
  • Petitions
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
International Family News Network (IFN)
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • Life
  • Family
  • Culture
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Science
  • Shows
  • Petitions
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
International Family News Network (IFN)
No Result
View All Result

Christian women: here are the countries where violence is (almost) legal

"Aid to the Church in Need" breaks through the wall of silence that plagues several Muslim-majority countries.

Luca Marcolivio by Luca Marcolivio
January 17, 2022
in Culture, Foreground
350
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Pakistani women

Image from ACN International

Share on FacebookShare on WhatsAppShare on TelegramShare on TwitterShare on WeChat

Last updated on January 18th, 2022 at 05:59 am

In many Afro-Asian countries, violence against women is religiously motivated. The recent report of the Canadian branch of the foundation Aid to the Church in Need, entitled Hear Her Cries: The kidnapping, forced conversion and sexual victimisation of Christian women and girls confirms an already known and terribly growing trend of rape, forced marriages and forced conversions. The document details recurring case histories, drawing in particular on the realities of Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Mozambique, Nigeria and Pakistan.

According to Aid to the Church in Need, more than 70% of the women and girls forced into marriage or conversion are Christians. “Offenders know that the likelihood of being convicted is significantly reduced if they limit their attacks on religious minorities.”

But, the report says, the cases that make headlines are just the tip of the iceberg. Most victims, in fact, tend to keep quiet for fear of further retaliation. For Aid to the Church in Need, the cases of women persecuted and blackmailed for religious reasons have always been underestimated, mainly due to the fear of bringing shame on the victims and their families. In addition to social stigma, another incentive to silence is the fear of retaliation: the families of victims tend not to speak out for fear of further violence. In particular, in Pakistan, the police and judiciary collude with violent people.

Courts colluded with Islamism

In places where Christianity is a minority, many Christian women are forced to convert, particularly to Islam, so that fundamentalism can find new followers in their children. ISIS fighters, for example, have deliberately sought to maximize conversions of Christian women in Syria in order to secure a new generation of jihadists. And In Nigeria, Boko Haram uses violence against women as a tool to provoke a mass exodus of Christians from the northern areas of the country.

Who will help them?

Among the cases reported in the report is that of Farah Shaheen, a young Pakistani Christian girl kidnapped at the age of twelve, forced into marriage and then held in chains like a slave. When her father reported the incident, the police refused to both listen and verbalize. The court’s medical experts stated that the girl was old enough to be legally married; therefore, they rejected the birth certificate confirming she was twelve years old at the time of abduction.

For their part, political and judicial institutions reflect the cultural and religious norms of the majority, and even in countries where shari’a is not officially in force, there are codes of conduct that tend to prevail over civil law. So the courts and the entire justice system are biased against Christians. “It’s very difficult to be a Christian girl in our country,” says an anonymous victim, interviewed by Aid to the Church in Need. “That’s why our girls are often kidnapped and the abuse they have to endure is too terrible to imagine. It’s really scary. Who is willing to help us?”

Women (and men) who care about the fate and dignity of women are the ones who should care about these things.

Tags: Religious Freedom
Luca Marcolivio

Luca Marcolivio

A professional journalist, Luca Marcolivio has been accredited to the Holy See Press Office since 2011. Director of the webmagazine of religious information Cristiani Today, e collaborates with La nuova Bussola Quotidiana, Pro Vita & Famiglia and the blog of the Centro Machiavelli. From 2011 to 2017 he was Editor-in-Chief of the Italian edition of Zenit. He is the author of Contro Garibaldi. Quello che a scuola non vi hanno raccontato and the editor of La società dell’allegria. Don Bosco raccontato dai salesiani del XXI Secolo

Discussion about this post

Popular News

  • New study shows that most abortions are not wanted and cause greater health problems

    New study shows that most abortions are not wanted and cause greater health problems

    32 shares 986 VIEWS
    Share 0 Tweet 32
  • Family wins legal battle against school district over trans controversy

    0 shares 873 VIEWS
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Istanbul Convention: Totalitarianism continues its steady march across Europe

    32 shares 779 VIEWS
    Share 0 Tweet 32
  • From White House appointment to scandal: The Sam Brinton story

    0 shares 741 VIEWS
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Crisis of the West is leading to a change and a new era

    32 shares 663 VIEWS
    Share 0 Tweet 32

Twitter iFamNewsEN

Tweets by @iFamNewsEN
IFN – International Family News Network

© 2022 IFN – International Family News - All Rights Reserved.

Quick Links

  • About iFamNews
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • Life
  • Family
  • Culture
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Science
  • Shows
  • Petitions
  • Subscribe
  • Donate

  • en English
  • it Italiano
  • es Español
  • fr Français
  • de Deutsch
  • pl Polski
  • sr српски
  • ru Русский
  • Login
  • Sign Up

© 2022 IFN – International Family News - All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Subscribe