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After Toddler's Brutal Rape, Rare Justice for Christians in Pakistan

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Watch Wilson Chowdhry's interview with Gary Lane to learn what Christians can do for little Saiba and Christians in Pakistan.

The brutal rape of a child has resulted in rare justice for Christians in Pakistan.

The Muslim rapist of two-year old Saiba has been sentenced to 25 years in prison and fined the equivalent of $1300 for the crime he committed in December 2016.

"It's a highly unusual case of justice for Christians," said Wilson Chowdhry of the British Pakistani Christians Association (BPCA). 

"Christians are a highly vulnerable and regularly persecuted body of people in Pakistan and justice is hard to come by as families are either forced to accept a bribe under duress in exchange for an acquittal of perpetrators, or face another family member being attacked or killed," he said.

Apearing on the CBN News program The Global Lane, Chowdhry explained what happened to little Saiba when the Muslim friend of her brother was left alone with the toddler. 

"The poor child was left alone with her older brother who was 10-years old because the mother and her eldest son had to go to work to feed the family," said Chowdhry.

And while the adults were away, neighbor Mohammed Abbas visited the home and asked Saiba's brother Daoud to go to the store and buy him some cigarettes. When the 10-year old returned, he discovered the door to the home was locked and he could not enter.

"I could hear Saiba crying and screaming louder then I have ever heard her scream before. I knew there was a problem and banged loudly on the door but no one was opening the door for me," Daoud recalled.
 
After a period of about 30-minutes, the door swung open and Abbas took the pack of cigarettes from the boy.

"He lit a cigarette, smiled as he left Daoud, and walked away," Chowdhry explained.

 He said Daoud rushed into the home and comforted his little sister until his mother and brother returned.

"When my mum came minutes later she cleaned the blood off Saiba's naked body and wrapped her in a towel. We both hugged her to bring some peace to her," said Daoud.

Now four years old, Saiba is still traumitized and suffers nightmares from the brutal attack. 

Hospital officials who treated Saiba believe it is unlikely that she will ever be able to bear children because of the massive physical damage suffered to her reproductive organs as a result of the rape.

Chowdhry describes Saiba and her family as brave, devout Christians who trust God. They have received help from both their church family and BPCA since the attack.

He said Saiba's legal victory is one that sets a new precedent for Christians in the Muslim-majority country, "It proves that Christians who are willing to fight for justice can achieve it even in the broken nation of Pakistan."

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About The Author

Gary Lane
Gary
Lane

Mr. Lane currently serves as International News Director and Senior International Correspondent for CBN News. He has traveled to more than 120 countries—many of them restricted nations or areas hostile to Christianity and other minority faiths where he has interviewed persecution victims and has provided video reports and analysis for CBN News. Also, he has provided written stories and has served as a consultant for the Voice of the Martyrs. Gary joined The Christian Broadcasting Network in 1984 as the first full-time Middle East Correspondent for CBN News. Based in Jerusalem, Gary produced