Pakistan’s Central Board of Film Censors in Islamabad (CBFC) has barred a short documentary based on child marriage and the forced conversion of a Christian girl from Faisalabad to Islam, from screening at a local festival, deeming it “propaganda”.
The filmmakers shared the news on their Instagram handle and said the documentary, titled My Mother’s Daughter, is based on true events and follows the story of an underage Christian girl who was abducted from Faisalabad by a middle-aged man and then was forcibly married to him after being converted to Islam.
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The filmmakers also said to ensure the authenticity of the case, they spent months verifying the case and also went to court hearings with the survivor.
The censor board has rejected the film, calling it “propaganda that is trying to highlight wrong values that go against the culture in Pakistan”.
The filmmakers also shared statistics regarding forced conversions and said that “up to 1,000 young girls are forcefully converted every year” and added that calling the documentary “propaganda” is a gross injustice to their plight and stories.
Forced conversions of underage girls from religious minorities is a severe issue in Pakistan and human rights defenders have continuously urged the authorities to take strict measures to curtail this practice.
