Nayab Gill was solely 13 years outdated when she was taken from her dwelling in Gujranwala, Pakistan, by her Muslim employer. She was forced to transform to Islam and made to marry her captor at gunpoint, a destiny confronted by dozens of minor Christian women in Pakistan yearly. Two years after her kidnapping, Nayab made a daring escape and is now sharing her story. Â

On May 20, 2021, Nayab Gill’s employer, Saddam Hayat, a 30-year-old married father of 4, reportedly arrived at her dwelling to “take her to work” in his automobile.

“Saddam was a frequent visitor to our house,” mentioned Nayab. “He owned a few shops in our area, one of which was rented by my father. Saddam promised to pay me a salary of 10,000 Pakistani rupees ($34) and said the money would help my poor family supplement their income. My father reluctantly agreed. . to his proposal because Saddam told him that I was like his own daughter.”Â

Nayab recollects that Saddam not less than twice tried to make advances on her at work, forcing her to maintain a protected distance.

“I was afraid that if I told my family about Saddam’s advances, my father would prevent me from going to work, and my family would lose the money we needed so desperately,” she mentioned.

On the day of the kidnapping, as an alternative of taking her to the salon the place she labored promoting facial merchandise, Saddam took her to a abandoned home, the place he forced her to resign her Christian religion and signal a clean piece of paper. Nayab says that shortly after being kidnapped, Saddam threatened her at gunpoint that if she didn’t yield to his will, he would kill her and her father.

“I screamed and cried, but no one heard me. After signing the paper by force, Saddam locked me in a room and left,” she mentioned. “I was kept there for two days, during which I was given food only once in 24 hours.”

“On the third day, Saddam came and told me that my father had registered a case of kidnapping against him. He told me that I would appear before a judge, and if I did not testify that I had converted to Islam and married him. of my free will, my family and I would be killed in court.”

Nayab recorded an announcement in courtroom in favor of her kidnapper. He was granted custody of Nayab as his authorized spouse in entrance of her helpless dad and mom who shed tears for his or her younger daughter.

Nayab’s ordeal worsened after the courtroom granted custody to her kidnapper.

“Saddam then took me to his own house and locked me in a room on the second floor,” she mentioned. “During my two-year captivity, he repeatedly attacked me against my will and treated me like a slave. But I did not lose hope and my faith in Christ!”

“I prayed every night, saying, ‘God, please help me.’ when I was summoned in court, I would say that I am an adult and married Saddam with my free will.”

“Saddam’s family treated me like an outcast. They often humiliated me for being born into a Christian family. There were times when I thought I should end my life, but I think it was my faith in God that gave me the strength to face that. situation.”

In April 2023, Nayab discovered a possibility to flee.

“It was the last week of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan when Saddam’s former wife filed a case against him for threatening her,” she mentioned. “Fearing arrest, Saddam and his brothers fled the house, but in the rush of things, they forgot to lock me up.

“It appeared that God answered my prayers for freedom. I discreetly left the home and began working, not even understanding the place the street would lead me.”

“I ended at a market to catch my breath when a Muslim girl approached me. She should have felt one thing wasn’t proper. She requested me if I wanted assist. I instructed her I did not have cash or a cellphone to contact my father. She took me to her home the place I might contact my household.”

Nayab was soon reunited with her parents.

“I’ve no phrases to precise the enjoyment I felt after I noticed my father,” she said. “Tears rolled down our eyes as he hugged me and kissed my brow, promising to maintain me protected eternally.”

Nayab’s father filed a second petition at the Supreme Court in July 2021 after the Supreme Court rejected his first petition and sent the girl back with her abductor. The Supreme Court has set a hearing for the latest petition a full two years into the future, dashing the family’s hopes of getting their child back. After the court finally heard the case in September 2023, it dismissed the petition as “fruitless” or pointless, as the girl had been reunited with her family.

The Supreme Court’s decision left the door open for more sexual exploitation of underage Christian girls in Pakistan under the guise of religious conversion.

“I used to be ready for the Supreme Court to listen to my story, however plainly it was not . I now need to resume my schooling and make buddies. I’ve no buddies anymore. I even requested my mom to let me reduce my hair as a result of I need to be like a boy. It’s not protected to be a woman in Pakistan.”