Police authorities in Pakistan have apprehended a man accused of confining his wife and children in their residence and subjecting them to mistreatment for more than ten years.
The rescued individuals, Sylvie Yasmina, a 54-year-old French citizen, along with her five children, were found in a deteriorated state in a mud-brick house in the secluded town of Bara, situated in the north-west Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Ahmad Khan, Ms. Yasmina’s spouse, has been taken into custody.
According to the district police chief Waqar Ahmad, Ms. Yasmina and her children were discovered in a rundown room with visible injuries on their bodies. She disclosed that her husband inflicted physical and psychological abuse on her, characterizing him as extremely violent.
Reportedly, Ms. Yasmina was restricted from interacting with others, leading to her two older children missing out on education, while the younger three were born in Pakistan and never attended school, as stated by a senior police officer to BBC Urdu.
Following an escape attempt by one of her sons to reach the local police station, Ms. Yasmina and her children were rescued. They have been relocated to a women’s shelter in Peshawar for safety measures.
Plans are underway for Ms. Yasmina to return to France, with authorities coordinating efforts with relevant officials and the French embassy for her repatriation. The French embassy has yet to provide a formal response.
Ms. Yasmina recounted that she faced restrictions on her freedom ever since relocating from Australia to Pakistan in 2014. In a video message shared with the media, she expressed gratitude towards the police for their intervention and reiterated her desire to go back to France.
Shabina Ayaz, the director of the Aurat Foundation, condemned the alleged mistreatment suffered by Ms. Yasmina, urging for comprehensive support from the French embassy and Pakistani authorities for the family. This case is seen as a critical reminder for both authorities and society.
Human rights organizations highlight that numerous women in Pakistan report instances of physical and psychological abuse by their spouses and family members annually, with many cases believed to remain unreported.