On the abduction, forced conversion and child marriage of Maria Shahbaz and the protection of girls in Pakistan

B100347/2026

European Parliament resolution on the abduction, forced conversion and child marriage of Maria Shahbaz and the protection of girls in Pakistan

(2026/2801(RSP))

having regard to ‘The Rape Gang Inquiry Report’, published in June 2026,

having regard to Rule 150 (5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas Maria Shahbaz, a 13-year-old Pakistani Christian girl, was abducted from her home in July 2025, then forcibly converted to Islam and married against her will to a 30-year-old Muslim man;

B. whereas on 25 March 2026, the Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan upheld the marriage, concluding that the conversion to Islam was voluntary and that the girl appeared to be an adult; whereas the court declared that Maria Shahbaz could legally remain with the man who abducted her and ruled that the marriage is governed by Islamic law;

C. whereas abductions of girls across Pakistan are often tied to trafficking, rape, forced marriages and forced labour;

D. whereas for decades, organised grooming gangs have systematically sexually exploited at least 250,000 white British underage girls across the United Kingdom; whereas around 84 % of the perpetrators were Muslim men, predominantly of Pakistani heritage;

E. whereas in mid-2026, German police established a specialised task force to dismantle a grooming network active around the Nürnberg Central Station, targeting German teenage girls, forcing them into the narcotics trade and sexual exploitation;

Expresses its solidarity with the victims and families affected by forced marriages and conversions;

Considers that the case of Maria Shahbaz is part of a continued and widespread pattern of abduction, forced conversion and marriage of girls from religious minority communities, particularly Christians and Hindus;

Considers that the Federal Constitutional Court’s ruling not only represents a grave injustice in Maria Shahbaz’ case but that it also shapes a dangerous message, further encouraging and and legitimising abductions and child marriages and weakening protections for vulnerable minority girls across Pakistan;

Calls on the Pakistani government to ensure the immediate and safe return of abducted girls to their families of origin and to prosecute those who use religious conversion for the crime of abduction;

Is concerned that the poor enforcement of existing laws creates widespread impunity; calls therefore, on the Pakistani government to ensure robust enforcement of child protection and anti-child-marriage laws, including legislative reforms aimed at raising the minimum marriage age;

Encourages the Pakistani government to enact judicial safeguards that prioritise verifiable age determination, free consent and protection from intimidation;

Emphasises that the child sexual exploitation scandal in the UK illustrates the danger that uncontrolled mass migration poses for women and girls in Europe; encourages the EU Member States to tackle the rise in sex crimes and criminal networks, to follow a ‘zero tolerance approach’ and to prioritise the expulsion of foreign national child offenders;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the European External Action Service, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the President, government and parliament of Pakistan.