WHEN SYLVIE YASMINA WED HER HUSBAND, a Pakistani man, in 2003, she thought she would be starting a new chapter of her life with a man she loved. After their marriage, the couple lived in Australia for over a decade before making their move to Pakistan with their two elder children. What was supposed to be a fresh start in husband’s home country turned out to be a nightmare that lasted 12 years. After Sylvie Yasmine moved to Pakistan, her husband kept her and her children locked inside a home for twelve years, and physically and mentally abused them daily.

How Sylvie Yasmina's Nightmare Began 

Sylvie Yasmina, a French woman, was residing in Australia where she met her husband who was "illegally residing" in the country. They wed in 2003, and resided in Australia till 2014. Thereafter, Sylvie had moved to Pakistan with their elder two children. And that's when her nightmare began.

Coming to Pakistan, Sylvie was "effectively imprisoned" by her husband. Her contact from the outside world was entirely cut off as she wasn't allowed to meet with anyone or to keep in touch with her family back in France.

Her elder two children weren't allowed to enroll in school, preventing them from continuing their education, while her youngest three children who were born in Pakistan were never enrolled in school.

Confined to a mud-built house located in the remote Bara town in the mountainous region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Sylvie’s husband assaulted the family physically and mentally on a daily basis. The women along with her five children were kept in a cramped and dilapidated room, sporting bruises all over their bodies. 

Then came their escape.

How the Police Came to Sylvie Yasmina’s Aid 

Sylvie and her children’s escape came when her eldest son ran away from their home and alerted the Pakistan police of their condition. On June 24, 2026, police raided the couple’s house located in Bara, a remote town in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Sylvie and the children were rescued, and her husband was arrested. 

In her written statement given to the police, Sylvie revealed the abuse and horror that she persisted: “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 puts 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,” Yasmine’s written statement, parts of which was published by local media outlets, read.

Sylvie Yasmina and her children remain in protective custody in Peshawar for the time being. The family has expressed hope of returning to France once the necessary arrangements are completed. Her husband continues to be held in police custody as investigators build their case against him.

(Edited by Ritik Singh)

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