Lahore, Pakistan: May 14, 2009. (PCP) A Christian girl Christian girl named Fozia aged 27 years, has been sexually abused by a Muslim for four years. She was in physical relation with Mohammad Asif who was promising to marry her. She lived with Asif without marriage for four years. She got three pregnancies, first she gave birth to a baby son (presently aged of one year and six months). She had miscarriage on her second pregnancy and third time she managed for abortion because the baby was died in her womb because Asif tortured her. Mohammad Asif got married with a Muslim girl in the first week of March 2009. Fozia approached Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan (SLMP) for help on April 17, 2009.Fozia belongs to a poor Christian family residing at Youhanabad Lahore. She has four brothers and three sisters. Her father is a laborer while brothers also do some labor work. Her mother and one of younger sisters do domestic work in the houses on wages. She was 15 years old when she started working a housemaid with her mother.
Fozia told all about the occurrence, she said “In the year 2005, I was doing job as a domestic worker in the house of a Muslim (in a posh area of Lahore known as Gulberg). I was doing 24 hours job for 1500 PKR (22 U.S Dollars) per month. On 5th May 2005, a Muslim named as Asif met with me in the neighboring house of my work place. He was doing some repairing work of sofas. I asked him if he can help me to buy a secondhand sofa for my family. Asif asked me to go with him so that he can show a sofa at some place. He deceivingly took me to a hotel and raped me. After raping, he promised that he will marry me. He took Quran in his hands and said that Quran will be witness of his promise and he can turn from every word but he cannot turn from this promise because Quran is witness and he is Muslim. I trusted him when he gave me pledge on Quran. He accommodated me into a rented house. I asked him to introduce me in his family but he always refused and said that he cannot introduce me because I am Christian. He abused me sexually for four years. Whenever I asked him to marry me, he replied that he need money for court marriage, and that he will arrange very soon. During this period he remained kind to me just for the times of having sex, otherwise he did not take care of me. He was living with his parents. He has been torturing, misusing and forcing me to go back to me family.”
Answering to a SLMP’s question, she told, “On January 1, 2008, I gave birth to a son in a private hospital. Asif did not take care of me; even he did not visit me in the hospital. I was alone at home when my labor pain was started; a lady from neighbors helped me. After few months of delivery, I conceived again. That was month of Ramdan (Muslims’ lent days), Asif mostly used to live with his family and rarely visit me, I stayed behind hungry for many days, because of my improper diet and hunger baby died in my womb and I had abortion. Two months later I conceived third time with a baby of Asif, at that time he tortured me ruthlessly in my pregnancy and due to physical torture I miscarried into the pregnancy.”
She said, “I could understand that he was creating circumstances for me to leave him. He stopped visiting, or to provide any facility. Eventually, I started begging in market. I was helpless, my son was hungry and I had to feed him.”
Fozia told that Asif, when he was intending to marry a Muslim girl, offered her an amount of money to leave him and not to tell that she has a son from Asif. She said, “I was aware that he is going to marry another (Muslim) girl, but he hurt my feelings more when he offered money with replacement of four precious years of my youth. He used me like a tissue paper and now wants to throw me in streets.”
Fozia is confronting lots of pressures because of having illegal child with her. Pakistani society does not accept such children. Even people don’t want to have any relation with girls those who have illegal child. This is very hard for Fozia to bring his child up as a respectable citizen. She contacted her family few days ago, but they flatly refused her to give shelter. One of her sisters (married) is willing to give her shelter but she wants Fozia to give her son to someone. Fozia does not want to leave the baby.
SLMP team member asked her that what she thinks her future would be. She said, “I am suffering from mental stress because I have not any other way to live. No body is accepting me; even my own family does not want to see me. I am unable to survive in these hardships. I cannot do job because of little child. He needs proper food, but I cannot provide him even a cup of milk. Sometimes I think where my fault was, trusted him with close eyes but he dodged me mercilessly.”
Fozia wants to take legal action against Asif, but there is great risk for her own life if she moves application in police station. She has nothing to prove her innocence that she was raped. If she moves application against Asif, police will also implicate her in adultery case, because she has also been involved willing having physical relation with Asif.
Rev. Sohail Johnson Chief Coordinator Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan strongly condemns such abuses with Christian girls. He said that conversion of Christian girls, forced marriages, such maltreatments, abuses and sexual assaults are drawbacks of Christian community in Pakistan. He expressed his sorrows over Fozia’s situation. He said that Fozia’s story remind us many other sisters in Christ sexually abused, kidnapped and forcibly married with Muslim guys, he said it should be stop now.
SLMP is concerned about Fozia and her son’s immediate needs like shelter and food. She needs special care and love to survive her mental stress. She is feeling alone and helpless. SLMP is trying to make her family not to harsh with her.
(Pakistan Christian Post)
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