French woman, 5 children held captive by Pakistani man for 12 years, rescued

A French woman and her five children were rescued from a home in Pakistan's Bara after one son alerted police. Investigators say the case centres on years of alleged abuse, isolation and disrupted schooling.

In Short

• Family found in poor conditions with visible injuries and no outside contact
• Son escaped to alert police leading to family's rescue in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
• Children deprived of education; younger ones never enrolled in school

A French woman who spent more than a decade cut off from the outside world, trapped inside a remote home in Pakistan with her five children, has finally been rescued after one of her sons slipped away and alerted police. Police say the woman's husband physically and psychologically abused the family while keeping them isolated from the outside world for a decade.

The rescue took place in Bara, a mountainous area in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, after one of the couple's sons managed to leave the house and alert police, according to BBC Urdu and local Pakistani media reports.

TEEN'S DASH FOR HELP TRIGGERS RESCUE

According to police officials cited by BBC Urdu, officers raided the family's home on June 18 after receiving information from one of the children.

Inside, they found 54-year-old Sylvie Yasmina and her five children living in a cramped and "extremely dilapidated room". Police said several family members had visible bruises and signs of physical injuries.

Yasmina and her children were immediately removed from the property and taken to a women's shelter in Peshawar.

Police later informed the French embassy that the family wishes to return to France.

'WE WERE DEPRIVED OF FREEDOM'

In a statement to investigators, Yasmina accused her husband of trapping the family in a series of abuse and violence.

"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," she said, according to excerpts cited by BBC Urdu.

"I felt that my future was already ruined, the future of the children would also be ruined."

According to Geo TV and BBC Urdu, Yasmina described her husband as a "violent man" who allegedly subjected family members to physical and mental abuse on a daily basis.

Police officials said she told investigators that she and her children were prevented from interacting with other people and had little or no contact with the outside world.

FAMILY CUT OFF FROM EDUCATION, OUTSIDE CONTACT

According to a senior police officer, the family had lived under strict restrictions since moving to Pakistan from Australia in 2014.

"According to the woman... She was not allowed to meet anyone, their two older children had missed their studies, while the three younger children were born in Pakistan and never enrolled in school," the officer said.

Authorities said the family's two eldest children had their education interrupted after the move, while the three younger children, born in Pakistan, were never registered in school.

COUPLE MOVED FROM AUSTRALIA TO PAKISTAN

According to Pakistani authorities, the couple married in Australia in 2003. Police alleged that the husband had been residing illegally in Australia when they met. The family lived in Australia until 2014 before relocating to Pakistan with their two older children.

What followed after the family's move to Pakistan is now the subject of a police investigation.

Police said the suspect remains in custody while authorities gather evidence and interview witnesses.

- Ends
With inputs from agencies