Police in Pakistan have rescued a French woman and her five children who were allegedly held captive by her husband for over a decade in the country's north-west. The woman, Sylvie Yasmina, 54, was found in a dilapidated mud-brick home in Bara, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghan border.
District police chief Waqar Ahmad said Yasmina's husband has been arrested and investigations are under way. The rescue came after one of her sons managed to leave the house and reach a local police station. Yasmina and her children have been transferred to a women's police station for protection.
Yasmina told police she had been subjected to physical and psychological abuse since moving to Pakistan in 2014. Her children were never enrolled in school, and she expressed a desire to return to France. Authorities are coordinating with the French embassy regarding repatriation.
Human rights groups highlight that domestic violence remains a significant problem in Pakistan, with hundreds of cases reported annually but many believed to go unreported. Shabina Ayaz of the Aurat Foundation called the case a wake-up call for authorities and society.
