French Woman and Five Sons Rescued After More Than a Decade of Abuse in Pakistan

Pakistani police said this week that they rescued 54-year-old French national Sylvie Yasmina and her five sons from captivity in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, near the border with Afghanistan. The family had reportedly been held for more than 10 years in a small mud-built room in Bara, where Yasmina said they suffered constant physical and psychological abuse.

According to police, the rescue came after one of the sons managed to leave the house and reach a local police station. The woman and children were then moved to a police women’s station for protection. District police chief Waqar Ahmad said Yasmina’s Pakistani husband was arrested and that an investigation has been opened into the circumstances of the case.

Yasmina told investigators that since moving to Pakistan from Australia in 2014, she had never been able to live freely. Police said her children were never enrolled in school, and that the family was found in poor conditions with visible signs of injury and abuse. Yasmina said her husband had been violent for years and that the family had been isolated from the outside world throughout their captivity.

In her first statement, Yasmina said she wants to return to France. Pakistani authorities said they are coordinating with relevant officials and the French embassy to arrange her repatriation. A police video released to the media showed Yasmina thanking the rescuing officers and repeating her wish to go back to France. The case has drawn attention against the backdrop of ongoing criticism from rights groups over domestic violence in Pakistan.