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India-Pakistan |
Conversion of minor |
2017-06-19 |
![]() Minority communities have once again been put on notice: their belief systems, even the law of the land itself, are of no consequence when the majority decides to ride roughshod over their rights. While at present there exists no legislation in the province denying recognition to the conversion of minors -- even though one came very close to being passed into law last year -- the Sindh Child Marriages Restraint Act, 2013, made marriage below the age of 18 a punishable offence. That alone should be enough to prosecute all those who were party to Ravita’s abduction and ’marriage’. Certainly, there are instances of individuals from minority communities -- almost always girls and women -- who have converted voluntarily, and that is their right. At the same time, the issue of conversion cannot be seen in black-and-white terms. For it is motivated not only by spiritual reasons but also by material concerns. Pakistain’s social structures are such as to make it not inconceivable that Hindu girls belonging to the marginalised and impoverished ’scheduled castes’ are sometimes drawn to the prospect of improving their lot in life by converting to the majority faith. This bitter reality only exacerbates the insecurities of minority communities who fear losing their younger generation as well as their own heritage in the process. |
Posted by:Fred |