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

Amendments tabled for the plenary sitting on this text, in their own numbering series. This is a different set from the committee amendments tracked elsewhere on AmendEU, and is not counted in any of the site’s amendment totals.

1. Amendment 1PfEJoint motion for a resolution · Paragraph 3 a (new)
   Amendment

   3a. Strongly condemns the systematic persecution of Christians in Pakistan and stresses that the abduction, forced conversion and child marriage of Maria Shahbaz must be seen in the wider context of discrimination, violence and intimidation faced by the country’s Christian community; demands that Pakistan repeal its blasphemy laws and end the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities;

   official amendment document ↗
2. Amendment 2PPEJoint motion for a resolution · Recital C a (new)
   Amendment

   Ca. whereas Christians are among the most severely persecuted religious communities in Pakistan and the largest worldwide, as demonstrated by the case of Maria Shahbaz;

   official amendment document ↗
3. Amendment 3S&D, Verts/ALE, The LeftJoint motion for a resolution · Recital B
   Current text

   B. whereas there is a persistent and well-documented pattern in Pakistan of abduction, forced conversion and forced marriage of underage girls from Hindu, Christian and other religious minorities; whereas poverty and marginalisation heighten girls’ vulnerability;

   Amendment

   B. whereas there is a persistent and well-documented pattern in Pakistan of abduction, forced conversion and forced marriage of underage girls from Hindu, Christian and other religious minorities; whereas, according to 2025 UN figures, among women and girls affected by forced conversion through marriage, around 75 % were Hindu and 25 % were Christian; whereas poverty and marginalisation heighten girls’ vulnerability;

   official amendment document ↗
4. Amendment 4S&D, Verts/ALE, The LeftJoint motion for a resolution · Recital C a (new)
   Amendment

   Ca. whereas the case of Maria Shahbaz is emblematic of broader human rights violations faced by minorities in Pakistan, including arbitrary detention, forced disappearances, harassment of journalists and civil society, and misuse of blasphemy, anti-terrorism and cybercrime laws;

   official amendment document ↗
5. Amendment 5S&D, Verts/ALE, The LeftJoint motion for a resolution · Paragraph 6
   Current text

   6. Encourages Pakistan to create a national mechanism for handling complaints from families of abducted or forcibly converted girls from minorities, and calls for comprehensive support for victims; calls for addressing the root causes of forced marriage and conversion and for targeted protection measures for girls from minorities facing discrimination, with particular attention paid to accessing education and social protection;

   Amendment

   6. Encourages Pakistan to create a national mechanism for handling complaints from families of abducted or forcibly converted girls from minorities, and calls for comprehensive support for victims, including safe shelters, legal aid, psychological counselling and reintegration programmes; calls for addressing the root causes of forced marriage and conversion, including gender inequality, poverty, social exclusion and discrimination based on caste, gender and religion, and for targeted protection measures for girls from minorities facing discrimination, with particular attention paid to accessing education and social protection;

   official amendment document ↗
6. Amendment 6S&D, Verts/ALE, The LeftJoint motion for a resolution · Paragraph 7
   Current text

   7. Calls for the EU and the Member States to systematically raise the issue of forced conversions and marriages and the protection of religious minorities in bilateral dialogues with Pakistan, including within the framework of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus monitoring;

   Amendment

   7. Calls for the EU and the Member States to systematically raise the issue of forced conversions and marriages and the protection of religious and other minorities, political opponents, journalists, civil society and human rights defenders and activists in bilateral dialogues with Pakistan, including within the framework of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus monitoring; recalls that failure to effectively implement its human rights commitments, including on women’s and children’s rights, should result in the withdrawal of Pakistan’s GSP+ status;

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