A Christian mother of five in the Sahoo Ki Malian village in Pakistan was taken by a group of Muslim men and was held captive for 20 days, during which she was repeatedly beaten, drugged, and raped. Venus Bibi, a 30-year old mother to five children and husband to Warris Masih, went out to shop for household supplies on April 1 when she was taken by several Muslim men.
According to the Pakistan Christian Post, the Muslim men blocked her on her way home and ordered her to come with them without making a scene. When Bibi resisted and shouted, the men showed her they were armed with a gun, with which they threatened her life. Scared, the Christian mom fell silent and heard one of the men say that they would take her to Sahiwal town 129 miles away so no one would find her.
Masih pleaded with authorities, naming his wife's abductor as Muhamad Akbar, a man who was known for previously kidnapping another Christian woman. He had escaped punishment at the hands of authorities because he is a wealthy, influential man who could persuade the police to drop charges. Akbar's position of power placed him in a situation in which he could get away with repeat offenses.
Masih told authorities that Akbar held Bibi for at least 20 days, during which he and his friends repeatedly raped, beat, and threatened her, saying that if she escaped, they would go after her husband and children. Bibi admitted that her abductors injected her with drugs to prevent her from escaping.
According to International Christian Concern, Masih made several attempts to get the police to help him and his family find the Christian mom. They relented and later found her unable to walk on a roadside near her village.
"We are poor and Christian therefore the police are not taking any action against the abductor, and because he has heavily bribed the police," Masih said. "But I want justice for my wife. I want all the kidnappers arrested and punished for their crimes so they can stop kidnapping more Christian women."
According to Open Doors USA, Christians in Pakistan face the "greatest levels of persecution" because they are "considered second-class citizens in this strongly Islamic country." Due to Islamic oppression, Pakistan is rated 88 in the 2021 World Watch List report. Just like the Christian mom, Christian girls in Pakistan are "at risk of abduction and rape, and are often forced to marry their attackers and coerced into converting to Islam." Islam extremists are known to abduct young Christian girls, abuse them, and force them into converting and marrying their abductors. These women risk getting harmed, or even killed, if they refuse to marry.
Several earlier reports indicate that such young Christian girls can be younger than the marrying age, but their kidnappers also falsify their details in order to make it appear that the marriage is valid and the women marry of their own accord. Some of these young women are able to escape, but not without trouble.
Not only are women often the target of oppressors in Pakistan, but they also use the country's notorious blasphemy laws to target Christians and other religious minorities, often attacking or even killing those who are believed to have violated such laws.
