A French woman and her five children have been freed in Pakistan after, police say, spending 12 years locked inside their home by her abusive husband. The ordeal ended only when one of her sons managed to slip out and alert officers, setting off a dramatic raid in Bara, in the Khyber district.
It is a story of long isolation that came to an end because of one child’s courage, and it has now become a diplomatic matter between Pakistan and France.
The raid in Bara
After the son raised the alarm, police stormed the property, which belongs to a migrant. Inside they found 54-year-old Sylvie Yasmina, who had endured years of violence and isolation. Officers said the family was living in cramped, squalid conditions. Both the mother and her children had visible bruises and scars.
The years behind closed doors had also taken a heavy toll on the children’s futures. None of the younger children had ever set foot in a school, and one child is deaf-mute. The two older children had missed years of their studies, while the three youngest were born in Pakistan and were never enrolled anywhere.
An officer relayed what the woman had told police, saying she "was not allowed to meet anyone". For more than a decade, it seems, the family had almost no contact with the outside world.
Years without freedom
Yasmina told investigators that her husband was "very violent" and that the abuse happened every day. She described a life of fear and control. "We were deprived of freedom… he beats us and pressured our lives on a daily basis," she said. "I felt my future was ruined, and the children’s future, too."
Local media reported that she has asked for criminal charges to be brought against him. She described him as a violent man who mistreated the family daily.
In footage shared by police, Yasmina thanked the officers who had rescued her. She also made clear what she wants most of all, which is to go back to France.
Arrest and what comes next
The husband, identified locally as Ahmad Khan, has been arrested. Yasmina and her children have been taken to a women’s shelter in Peshawar, where they are being protected while their situation is sorted out.
Pakistan’s foreign office has told the French embassy that she wishes to be repatriated. Diplomatic talks are now under way, though no timeline has been given for when the family might be able to travel.
Rights groups say the case highlights the widespread problem of domestic violence in Pakistan, where hundreds of women face abuse every year. Many cases, they warn, are never reported.
For now, the family is safe, away from the house where they say they were held for so long. The mother’s hopes rest on the talks between the two countries, and on a return to France with her children, who have a great deal of lost time to make up.
Source: The Mirror US
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