Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office written question – answered at on 7 February 2022.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the recommendations in the report by the APPG for Pakistani Minorities inquiry on forced conversions and forced marriages of minority girls and women in Pakistan, published on 25 November 2021.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of child, early and forced marriage in Pakistan in the context of that country's commitment to goal 5.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The UK Government welcomes the publication of the All Party Parliamentary Group's report. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia, spoke at the launch event. The UK strongly condemns the forced marriage and forced conversion of women and girls in Pakistan. We regularly raise concerns about freedom of religion or belief and women and girls' rights at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan. During his visit to Pakistan on 23 and 24 June 2021, Lord Ahmad met Prime Minister Khan, as well as other senior government ministers, and discussed our concerns. He met interfaith leaders to understand the situation of Pakistani minorities, particularly the issue of forced conversion and marriage. Lord Ahmad discussed the need to promote respect for all religions with Governor of Punjab, Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, on 28 November 2021. The FCDO funds programmes in Pakistan that directly address commitments made under Sustainable Development Goal 5, to end harmful practices including child and forced marriages. The UK Government has supported the Government of Pakistan in setting up eight child courts to provide child-sensitive justice to children who come in contact with the law, including victims of child abuse, trafficking and child marriage.
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