Aid to the Church in Need is sounding the alarm on the plight of young Christian women, and even teenagers, in Pakistan. “Every year at least a thousand girls are kidnapped, raped, and forced to convert to Islam, even forced to marry their tormentors,” according to Tabassum Yousaf, a Catholic lawyer linked to the St. Egidio community.
To draw attention to the issue, the papal foundation ACN is hosting a press conference in Karachi on Thursday, which will see the attendance of Cardinal Joseph Coutts and several Muslim leaders. The phenomenon of forced conversions hits Pakistan’s religious minorities, especially Christians and Hindus.

Vatican News - Pakistan: Catholic charity decries forced conversions to Islam