Concerning the case of Saman Abbas, a young Pakistani woman who disappeared from the province of Reggio Emilia in recent months, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs specifies that no contact has taken place with the Embassy of Pakistan in Italy. Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in international judicial cooperation have no possibility for an autonomous initiative. However, as always, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide any valuable assistance to the competent Italian judicial authorities currently carrying out the necessary investigations and having the power to decide on judicial cooperation.
As widely known, Italy strongly condemns the practice of forced marriages, which constitute a severe violation of human rights. It is at the forefront of all international forums dedicated to safeguarding the rights of women and girls. Our country is one of the promoters of the UN Resolution on early and forced marriages, which was last adopted in the General Assembly in December. Italy has also ratified the main international conventions – including the 1979 UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the 2011 Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) – to protect the dignity and freedom of women in marriage matters.