Kidnap ordeal demands action from MPs

A housemaid's refusal to arrange sex for her bosses sparked vicious revenge.

She's an easy target for abuse. A poor, illiterate domestic servant, Hanifan Bibi was already typical of many Christian women in Pakistan. Now a horrific ordeal at the hands of a gang of thugs has scarred her family for life.

Her former employer, a woman herself, paid a visit a fortnight ago. The gang of strongmen, led by the boss's husband, broke down the door and abducted 58-year-old Hanifan, Kala Masih her husband, son Pervaiz and nephew Kashif.

Kashif tells what happened next. "They took off my clothes and hung me upside down by tying my feet with cord. Those cruel people started beating me with a hot iron pipe."

Then with her husband and son looking on in horror, Hanifan was also stripped and beaten by the thugs.

The family was starved of food and drink for two days and then taken to the police station, where they were accused of stealing money and jewellery from Hanifan's ex-boss.

The ordeal had began when men from the boss's family demanded Hanifan bring them a Christian woman for sex.

When she refused, they devised the abduction plan to extract their revenge.

Hanifan's case has been taken up by the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), a CMS partner which campaigns on behalf of persecuted Christians in Pakistan.

"In Pakistan society, when you go to any office - not just the police station - if you are a Christian you are treated differently," explains CLAAS-UK co-ordinator Nasir Saeed.

"They look upon you with hatred. To be a Christian is really a crime for them."

If you are poor and female, you will be treated as a joke, says Saeed.

CLAAS has provided Hanifan's family with free legal aid to rebuff the accusations of stealing and register a case against the kidnappers.

It is also urging supporters in the UK to write to the Pakistani High Commissioner and their local MP, as part of a long-term strategy to improve human rights for religious minorities in Pakistan.