• A French woman and her five children have been rescued after being held captive for over 12 years in Pakistan.
• The woman's husband has been arrested following a child's daring escape to alert authorities.
• The family was found living in a dilapidated room with visible signs of abuse.
• Yasmina expressed a desire to return to France after years of isolation.
• The case has raised concerns regarding domestic violence and women’s rights in Pakistan.

Police in Pakistan have rescued a French woman, Sylvie Yasmina, and her five children after they claimed to have been held captive and abused for more than a decade by her husband. The family was discovered in Bara, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, following an escape attempt by one of Yasmina's sons, who managed to notify authorities about their situation, resulting in a police raid. Upon their discovery, authorities noted the family's living conditions were deplorable, as they were found in an "extremely dilapidated room" with visible bruises, according to BBC and India Times.

Yasmina, 54, previously resided in Australia before relocating to Pakistan with her husband in 2014. In her statements to police, she alleged that her husband, Ahmad Khan, had "effectively imprisoned" them since the move and described him as "very violent," noting that he inflicted both physical and psychological abuse on the family daily. Furthermore, Yasmina reported that her children had been denied educational opportunities, with two older children missing school entirely while their younger siblings, born in Pakistan, were never enrolled, as cited by India Times and South China Morning Post.

Following the rescue, Yasmina and her children were taken to a women's shelter in Peshawar for protection, while police coordinate with the French embassy for their repatriation. Yasmina expressed a strong desire to return to France, stating, “I felt that my future was already ruined, the future of the children would also be ruined,” underscoring the emotional impact of their prolonged captivity, according to India Times and BBC.

The incident has highlighted alarming issues of domestic violence against women in Pakistan. According to multiple reports, including those from South China Morning Post and BBC, human rights organizations emphasize that many cases of abuse remain unreported, with the annual toll of domestic violence against women continuing to rise.