Award-Winning Documentary “Hum Saya” Screened in Lahore


Lahore — The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), in collaboration with Cosmopolitan Club Lahore, hosted the screening of the award-winning documentary Hum Saya – Neighbor, followed by a panel discussion. This CSJ film, based on the true stories of minor girls who have endured forced conversions, won Best Short Documentary on Human Rights at the Venice Intercultural Film Festival in 2023. It has since been selected for a fifth international screening, including at the 7th FICNOVA in Spain in 2024. 

Human rights experts Peter Jacob, Nabila Feroz Bhatti, and Prof. Dr. Sara Rizvi Jafree addressed the urgent issues of forced conversions and child marriages in Pakistan. They highlighted that coerced conversions are a serious violation of human rights, which persist in part due to lack of government intervention.

Peter Jacob, Executive Director of CSJ, shared that incidents of forced conversion have risen sharply. As of August 2024, 35 cases have been reported, with 11 in Punjab and 24 in Sindh, totaling at least 404 incidents since 2021. During recent UN treaty reviews (CERD and CCPR), the government denied the existence of forced conversions. Jacob emphasized the need for specific legislation to regulate conversions and criminalize forced conversions, especially of underage minority girls, as existing laws remain inadequate.

Dr. Sara Rizvi Jafree, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology at Forman Christian College University, argued that extremists may believe they are serving a religious purpose through forced conversions, yet Islam does not condone this practice. Dr. Jafree explained that such conversions often lead to severe trauma, loss of identity, and long-term psychological and social consequences for the women involved. She advocated for comprehensive legislation and social support interventions, including a database to monitor the wellbeing of affected women through social protection officers.

Human rights advocate Nabila Feroz Bhatti underscored the need to address early child marriage and forced conversions, calling these issues largely neglected but severe. The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2017 prohibits forced marriages, criminalizing the marriage of a minor or a non-Muslim woman with a minimum five-year prison term. However, Bhatti noted that enforcement remains weak due to the government’s failure to recognize the issue’s urgency.

The discussion concluded with a consensus on the necessity of special protections for victims, including trauma care, rehabilitation, and privacy safeguards. Panelists called on the government to provide pro bono legal representation to minor girls, emphasizing the importance of these protective measures for Pakistan’s vulnerable minority communities.