French mother rescued in Pakistan: French mother and five children rescued from home in Pakistan after being abused by husband for ten years
A French woman and her five children were rescued by Pakistani police after she claimed she had been held captive by her husband for more than a decade and suffered years of physical and mental abuse in the country’s northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Earlier this week, 54-year-old Sylvie Yasmina was rescued from a mud-brick house in Bala, a town near the Afghan border, the Associated Press reported. District police chief Waqar Ahmad said her husband, Ahmad Khan, had been arrested and investigations were ongoing.In a desperate attempt to rescue him, one of Yasmina’s sons managed to leave the house and go to a nearby police station to seek help, police said.
The family has allegedly been imprisoned since 2014
Yasmina told investigators that since moving to Pakistan in 2014, she has been unable to live freely.She claimed her husband “effectively imprisoned” the family after they moved from Australia to Pakistan, the BBC reported.The couple married in 2003 and lived in Australia until 2014, when they moved to Pakistan with their two older children, the BBC reported.A senior police officer told the BBC Urdu program that Yasmina claimed she was not allowed to meet anyone outside the family, while her two older children missed out on education and the three younger children, who were born in Pakistan, never enrolled in school.Police said Yasmina and her children were found living in a cramped and “extremely shabby room”.She had visible injuries on her face, and authorities found bruises on family members’ bodies, the Associated Press reported.
Woman seeks return to France
After the rescue, Yasmina and her children were shifted to the Women’s Police Station and later taken to a shelter in Peshawar for protection.Police said Yasmina expressed a desire to return to France and authorities were coordinating her repatriation with relevant officials and the French embassy. The French embassy had no immediate comment, the Associated Press reported.In a video recorded by police and shared with media, Yasmina thanked officers for rescuing her and reiterated her desire to return to France.In her statement to police, Yasmina claimed that her husband physically and mentally abused the family on a daily basis. Local media released a partial statement.“We have been deprived [of our] Liberty, my husband doesn’t take care of us the way he should as a husband and father of our children. He beat us every day and caused stress in our lives,” she said.“I feel like my future has been ruined and my children’s future will be ruined,” she added.
Domestic violence in Pakistan
The case has brought renewed attention to domestic violence and the challenges faced by women in Pakistan.Human rights groups say hundreds of women report physical and psychological abuse at the hands of husbands and family members each year, although many cases remain unreported.Shabina Ayaz, director of the rights group Aurat Foundation, condemned Yasmina’s treatment and called on Pakistani authorities and the French embassy to provide support.She said the case should serve as a “wake-up call” to authorities and society.
