Pakistani Court Gives Muslim Kidnapper Custody of 13-Year-Old Christian Girl
15th February 2026
A federal court in Pakistan on February 3rd granted custody of a 13-year-old Christian girl, Maria Shahbaz, to a Muslim man who had kidnapped her, converted her to Islam, and ‘married’ her.
Judges rejected the birth certificate Maria’s parents provided, which proved her age. Furthermore, the judges disregarded earlier judicial findings that the marriage was illegal, Safdar Chaudhry, chairperson of rights group Raah-e-Nijaat Ministry, told Christian Daily International–Morning Star News.
Such cases follow a recurring pattern. Every year in Pakistan, an estimated 1,000 girls and young women from religious minorities (many of whom are Christians) face abduction, rape, forced marriage to their much older abductors, coerced conversion to Islam, and various other forms of abuse. Victims are as young as seven and include girls with disabilities. Families often never see their loved ones again because the police rarely act and the courts frequently fail victims. Survivors endure shame, PTSD, and social stigma in Pakistan’s honor-based culture.