Decision
The abduction, forced conversion and child marriage of Maria Shahbaz and the protection of girls in Pakistan
- Effect
- Adopted
- Result
- show of hands — no count
- Date
- 9 July 2026, 13:44–13:45
- Kind
- Resolution
More facts (8)
- Dossier
- 2026/2801(RSP)
- Source
- Motion for a resolution
- Topics
- Foreign affairsJobs, social affairs & equality Assigned by a model, not checked by hand.
- Votes
- 13 votes · 5 roll calls · 5 amendments
- Requested by
- Greens (1 roll call) · S&D (1 roll call) · Patriots (1 roll call)
- Sitting
- Thursday 9 July 2026
- Final vote
- 195727
Result
The final vote and what it means for this kind of decision.
Show of hands — no count
Adopted.
Parliament adopted the text as its official position.
Before the final vote, MEPs decided on 5 amendments (5 adopted) and 1 part of the text voted on separately (1 adopted). 6 alternative motions lapsed once the text was adopted.
Debate speakers and how they voted
| Member | Group | Speeches | Spoke | Final vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sophie WILMÈS Belgium | Renew | Speeches1 | 9 Jul 2026 (verbatim report, official site) | no roll call |
| Sabine VERHEYEN Germany | EPP | Speeches3 | 8 Jul 2026 (verbatim report, official site) | no roll call |
| Alessandra MORETTI Italy | S&D | Speeches1 | 8 Jul 2026 (verbatim report, official site) | no roll call |
| Tomasz FROELICH Germany | ESN | Speeches1 | 8 Jul 2026 (verbatim report, official site) | no roll call |
| Tomislav SOKOL Croatia | EPP | Speeches1 | 8 Jul 2026 (verbatim report, official site) | no roll call |
| Saskia BRICMONT Belgium | Greens | Speeches1 | 8 Jul 2026 (verbatim report, official site) | no roll call |
Show the other 13 speakers
All votes on this decision, 13
| No. | Vote | Recorded | Result | Requested by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amendment 1, adding text after paragraph 3 RC-B10-0346/2026 – After § 3 – Am 1 | Roll call | 301 for, 281 against, 14 abstained Adopted | Requested byroll call: Greens, Patriots |
| 2 | Amendment 5 to paragraph 6 RC-B10-0346/2026 – § 6 – Am 5 | Roll call | 312 for, 248 against, 27 abstained Adopted | Requested byroll call: S&D |
| 3 | Amendment 6 to paragraph 7 RC-B10-0346/2026 – § 7 – Am 6 | Roll call | 334 for, 231 against, 29 abstained Adopted | Requested byroll call: Greens |
Show the other 12 votesShow the other 10 votes
| No. | Vote | Recorded | Result | Requested by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Amendment 5 to paragraph 6 RC-B10-0346/2026 – § 6 – Am 5 | Roll call | 312 for, 248 against, 27 abstained Adopted | Requested byroll call: S&D |
| 3 | Amendment 6 to paragraph 7 RC-B10-0346/2026 – § 7 – Am 6 | Roll call | 334 for, 231 against, 29 abstained Adopted | Requested byroll call: Greens |
| No. | Vote | Recorded | Result | Requested by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Amendment 3 to recital B RC-B10-0346/2026 – Recital B – Am 3 | Roll call | 310 for, 261 against, 21 abstained Adopted | Requested byroll call: Greens |
| 5 | Vote on text inserted after recital D | Show of hands | Adopted | |
| 6 | Amendment 4, adding text after recital D RC-B10-0346/2026 – After recital D – Am 4 | Roll call | 480 for, 77 against, 32 abstained Adopted | Requested byroll call: S&D |
| 7 | Final vote — text as a whole Motion for a resolution (as a whole) | Show of hands | Adopted | |
| 8 | Alternative motion for a resolution B10-0346/2026 | Show of hands | Lapsed | |
| 9 | Alternative motion for a resolution B10-0347/2026 | Show of hands | Lapsed | |
| 10 | Alternative motion for a resolution B10-0348/2026 | Show of hands | Lapsed | |
| 11 | Alternative motion for a resolution B10-0349/2026 | Show of hands | Lapsed | |
| 12 | Alternative motion for a resolution B10-0350/2026 | Show of hands | Lapsed | |
| 13 | Alternative motion for a resolution B10-0351/2026 | Show of hands | Lapsed |
Roll calls requested by Greens, S&D, Patriots.
Text
The text voted on.
AI: What this vote decides Written by AI from the official text — check the source
Parliament adopted a resolution on the abduction, forced conversion and child marriage of Maria Shahbaz, a 13-year-old Christian girl from Lahore, and on the protection of girls in Pakistan.
The text condemns these practices, calls on Pakistani authorities to protect Maria, investigate her case, and prosecute perpetrators, and welcomes the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act 2026.
It urges other provinces to adopt similar laws, asks for a national complaint mechanism, and calls on the EU and member states to raise the issue in bilateral dialogues, including GSP+ monitoring.
AI: The text in short Written by AI from the official text — check the source
This resolution addresses the abduction, forced conversion, and child marriage of Maria Shahbaz and the protection of girls in Pakistan. It condemns these practices and calls for action from Pakistani authorities, the judiciary, and the EU.
Dossier
Where the dossier stands and its other decisions in plenary.
2026/2801(RSP) · Resolution on a topical subject
Parliament adopted the text on 9 July 2026. This is its final position on the matter.
Show the 3 steps of the dossier
- Tabled for plenary (done)
- Plenary vote · Adopted 9 July 2026 (done)
- Parliament’s position · Final (done)
Connections
What this decision touches: the procedural chain, the same text, running issues, votes that split the chamber the same way.
Show 6 connections: Running issue: Religious freedom
Running issue: Religious freedom
- Issue Religious freedom Running issue · EU initiative 9 Jul 2026
- Decision Ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria, notably the Kawel village massacre Resolution · motion for a resolution 9 Jul 2026 Adopted
- Decision Targeted expulsions of foreign journalists and foreign Christians in Türkiye under national security pretexts Resolution · motion for a resolution 12 Feb 2026 Adopted
- Decision Escalating repression of the Baha’is in Iran Resolution · motion for a resolution 27 Nov 2025 Adopted
- Decision Urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus Resolution · motion for a resolution 10 Jul 2025 Adopted
- Decision Violations of religious freedom in Tibet Resolution · motion for a resolution 8 May 2025 Adopted
Sources & citation
Where the facts on this page come from, and how to cite it.
- Official source
- Data source
- Licensed CC BY 4.0.
- Retrieved
- 25 September 2026
Cite as
European Parliament (2026). “The abduction, forced conversion and child marriage of Maria Shahbaz and the protection of girls in Pakistan”. Decision, 9 July 2026. votingId 195727, document B-10-2026-0351, reference 2026/2801(RSP). EU Parl Watch Research. https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/decisions/2026-07-09/7 (retrieved 25 September 2026). Official source: Results of votes, sitting of 9 July 2026 (European Parliament), https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/PV-10-2026-07-09-VOT_EN.html. Data: EP Open Data API: decisions of the sitting MTG-PL-2026-07-09, https://data.europarl.europa.eu/api/v2/meetings/MTG-PL-2026-07-09/decisions?format=application%2Fld%2Bjson (CC BY 4.0).
BibTeX
@misc{epw-decision-2026-07-09-7,
author = {{European Parliament}},
title = {{The abduction, forced conversion and child marriage of Maria Shahbaz and the protection of girls in Pakistan}},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-07-09},
howpublished = {\url{https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/decisions/2026-07-09/7}},
url = {https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/decisions/2026-07-09/7},
urldate = {2026-09-25},
publisher = {EU Parl Watch Research},
note = {Decision. votingId 195727, document B-10-2026-0351, reference 2026/2801(RSP). Official source: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/PV-10-2026-07-09-VOT\_EN.html. Data: EP Open Data API: decisions of the sitting MTG-PL-2026-07-09 (CC BY 4.0)}
}