A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Christian girl was raped on Easter Day in the Punjab, Pakistan, the Vatican news agency has reported.

The girl, who is still in a serious condition in hospital, was allegedly raped by a Muslim man who has since confessed to the attack, the Fides news agency has reported.

The report follows others of rapes of girls in Pakistan, one as young as six, in the past two years.

The chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA), Wilson Chowdhry, said: "The BPCA has already reported that the rate of girls being kidnapped, raped, and forced into Islamic marriage is at least two a week.

"These newer reports are increasing in frequency and highlight the vulnerability of minority girls. Moreover, many incidents continue to go unreported."