Source: www.worthynews.com
Date: February 4, 2026
by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
ISLAMABAD (Worthy News) – A prominent Pakistani Christian human rights advocate has warned that an increasing number of underage girls are being forced to wear the veil or burqa, calling the practice a form of “child radicalization” and ideological coercion.
Sardar Mushtaq Gill, founder of the advocacy group LEAD Ministries Pakistan, said his organization has documented cases of children as young as three or four being compelled to adopt strict Islamic dress codes.
“This is not religious instruction or moral guidance,” Gill said. “It is coercion that prioritizes ideology over a child’s well-being.”
Gill stressed that the trend is not limited to Pakistan but is occurring across South Asia, the Middle East, parts of Africa, and within diaspora communities in Europe and North America.
VIOLATING UN CONVENTION
He warned that forcing very young girls to wear a veil normalizes control and submission from the earliest stages of life, while reinforcing fear, shame, and gender inequality.
From a human rights perspective, Gill said the practice violates the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, including protections for freedom of thought, dignity, and personal development.
Gill urged governments, child protection agencies, educators, and religious leaders to intervene, warning that ideological coercion of children must be recognized as a severe form of harm.
“Children everywhere deserve innocence, dignity, and the freedom to grow without extremist interpretations imposed before they can even understand,” he added.