her husband had "effectively imprisoned" the family
Police in Pakistan have arrested a man for allegedly holding his wife and children captive and abusing them for more than a decade.
The alleged abuse took place in Pakistan, with his wife, French national Sylvie Yasmina, claiming he assaulted the family physically and mentally “on a daily basis” and describing him as “very violent”.
One of the couple’s sons managed to escape and report the matter to police, triggering a raid on their home in Bara, a remote town in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Officers said they found Sylvie and her five children in a cramped and “extremely dilapidated room”, with visible bruising across their bodies.
Sylvie and her children have since been moved to a women’s shelter in Peshawar, with authorities stating they intend to return to France.
The victim alleged her husband had “effectively imprisoned” the family since their move to Pakistan from Australia in 2014.
Authorities have not named the suspect, a Pakistani national they say was “residing illegally” in Australia when he met Sylvie.
The couple married in 2003 and lived in Australia until 2014, before relocating to Pakistan with their two older children.
In her statement to police, the victim wrote: “We were deprived [of our] freedom, my husband didn’t take care of us the way he should as a husband and the father of my children.
“He beats us and put pressure on our lives on a daily basis.
“I felt that my future was already ruined, the future of the children would also be ruined.”
Her statement further claimed she and her children had lived in extremely difficult circumstances, with her husband assaulting them regularly.
She alleged that they had scars on their face and bodies as a result of the abuse, requesting the authorities to initiate criminal proceedings against him.
It is reported that for 12 years, the family was confined to a single room.
Due to this, the two older children could not complete their education. Meanwhile, the three younger children have never been to school.
Sylvie described her husband as a violent man who mistreated the family daily.
Officials said the French national had expressed a wish to return to France. Following her request, Pakistan’s Foreign Office informed the French Embassy, while authorities continue to investigate the case.
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