A French woman and her five children have been rescued by Pakistan police after she alleged that she was held captive by her husband for more than a decade and subjected to years of physical and psychological abuse in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.Sylvie Yasmina, 54, was rescued from a mud-brick house in Bara, a town near the Afghanistan border, earlier this week, according to news agency Associated Press (AP). District police chief Waqar Ahmed said her husband Ahmed Khan has been arrested and investigation is underway.Police said a desperate attempt at rescue was made by one of Yasmina’s sons, who managed to leave the house and reach a nearby police station to seek help.
The family has reportedly been in captivity since 2014
Yasmina told investigators that she had been unable to live independently since moving to Pakistan in 2014.According to the BBC, she alleged that her husband had “effectively imprisoned” the family after he moved to Pakistan from Australia.The couple married in 2003 and lived in Australia until 2014 before relocating to Pakistan with their two grown children, the BBC reported.A senior police officer told BBC Urdu that Yasmina alleged she was not allowed to meet anyone outside the family, while her two elder children missed out on education and her three younger children, born in Pakistan, were never enrolled in school.Police said Yasmina and her children were found living in a cramped and “extremely dilapidated room”.Injuries were visible on his face, while authorities found bruises on the bodies of family members, according to the AP.
The woman wants to return to France
After the rescue, Yasmina and her children were shifted to a women’s police station and later to a shelter in Peshawar for safety.Police said Yasmina has expressed her desire to return to France and officials are coordinating with relevant authorities and the French Embassy regarding her repatriation. There was no immediate comment from the French Embassy, according to the AP.In a video recorded by the police and shared with the media, Yasmina thanked the officers for rescuing her and reiterated her desire to return to France.In her statement to the police, parts of which were published by local media, Yasmina alleged that her husband physically and mentally abused the family on a daily basis.“We were deprived of (our) freedom, my husband did not take care of us the way he should as a husband and father of my children. He beats us and puts pressure on our lives on a daily basis,” she said.He said, “I felt that not only was my future ruined, my children’s future would also be ruined.”
Concerns about domestic violence in Pakistan
The case has again drawn attention to domestic violence and the challenges faced by women in Pakistan.Human rights groups say hundreds of women report physical and psychological abuse by husbands and family members each year, although many cases go unreported.Shabina Ayaz, director of the rights group Aurat Foundation, condemned the alleged treatment of Yasmina and sought support from Pakistani authorities and the French Embassy.He said the case should serve as a “wake-up call” for authorities and society.