Forced marriages
With hundreds of young men and women forced into marriage every year, TheSite.org investigates the possible dangers and how new laws aim to prevent them happening in the first place.
What is a forced marriage?
There's a big difference between a forced and an arranged marriage. In an arranged marriage, families choose their child's partner but both individuals are happy with the arrangement and can decide whether to accept it. A forced marriage involves a young person being told they have to marry even though they don't want to. Their families often coerce them into marriage using both physical and emotional pressure to get them to agree.
A forced marriage is an abuse of human rights and a form of domestic violence that can have devastating consequences, in some cases resulting in suicide or murder. Forced marriages are more common in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, the Middle East, Africa, and South East Asia where family honour is very important.
However, new steps to help protect vulnerable young people have recently come in force. The Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 aims to prevent forced marriage and protect those who have already been affected. This means that a victim, friend or the police can apply for a Forced Marriage Protection Order to protect someone from being forced into marriage.
As a result, court injunctions will ban families from taking people aboard for marriage, seizing passports, or intimidating victims. If someone is already married, their family will be asked to reveal their whereabouts and an order can be made to help remove someone from the situation.
This new law doesn't make forced marriage illegal, but those who fail to obey an order may be found in contempt of court and sent to prison for up to two years. The Government has also increased the marriage visa age to 21 in a bid to crackdown on forced marriage and those who attempt to abuse the marriage visa route.
How many of them occur?
The Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) (set up by the Home Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to tackle the problem of forced marriages), says it deals with 250 to 300 cases of forced marriage each year: "We are only helping the people who are brave enough to pick up the phone and call us. Figures from charities, women's refuges, the police and social services put the figure much higher."
Forced marriages aren't against the law in the UK. However, a Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Bill is being considered that would enable young people to get an injunction against any person who tries to deceive or force them into marrying someone. It would also make it unlawful for people outside the immediate family to 'aid and abet' forced marriage.
Why do forced marriages happen?
There may be many reasons why young people are forced into marriage. "It might be to do with family honour and shame," says a spokesperson at the FMU. "If a girl has a boyfriend or is pregnant, or if a child is gay or behaving in a way the family don't agree with, these can also be the reasons."
My Dad said, 'If you run away, we're going to kill you'. I was only 15, and they were trying to force me into marriage with a man from Pakistan.
"Some women go through with the marriage out of fear," says the FMU. "They are scared of being disowned by their family, perhaps even fearing physical abuse and may feel they have a duty to their parents to go through with it."
Wanting to please the family is only part of it, says Rebecca Einhorn, Manager of NSPCC's sexual exploitation service. "Young people are often tricked into accepting a marriage and have no awareness it's going to happen. They may think they're agreeing to a holiday in their parents' homeland and suddenly find themselves in this chain of events over which they have no control."
Approximately 15% of the cases dealt with by the FMU are men, but that number is growing. "It's hard for men to come forward because of the belief that they are 'macho'," says Imran Rehman, a support worker for Karma Nirvana, an organisation which offers support and help for victims of forced marriage. "If men have issues in forced marriage or domestic violence, we can give one-to one emotional support. We understand the issues of what men and women are going through and can refer them to a refuge or safe house."
Dangers faced by women
Many girls and women forced into marriage suffer from sexual abuse and domestic violence. This may lead young people to self harm, run away or even commit suicide. Refusal can place a young person at risk of murder, also known as honour killing.
"My Dad threatened me by saying 'If you run away, we're going to kill you'," says Sarah*. "I was only 15, and they were trying to force me into marriage with a man from Pakistan. I'd already seen my Dad put an axe to my sister's throat when she'd refused to accept the forced marriage."
"A lot of girls have been taken out of education and kept prisoners in their own home," says the FMU. "They're taken overseas and married off. They might be raped continuously until they are pregnant or forced to have a termination. They may be told they'll be cut off from the family, or that their parents will have a heart attack and die if they don't agree to the marriage."
I'm being forced to marry
If you fear you might be forced into a marriage overseas, it's advised that you don't agree to travel. There's a danger you may be isolated or be put under emotional pressure to comply. You may be under constant supervision without having money, your passport or ticket home and may be unable to get to a telephone. If you decide to go or feel you don't have a choice, there are things you can do to ensure your safety:
- Leave your passport details, all flight details and the full address and telephone number of the place you are going to stay abroad with a trusted friend and take some money with you;
- Keep hold of the telephone number of the British Consulate;
- Before leaving the country, call the Forced Marriage Unit at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for advice.
"We always keep a photograph on file so if the young person goes through an airport, we can pass that information to immigration officials, "says Rebecca at the NSPCC. "The young person also needs to ensure they have a working mobile that they can use in an emergency. You also need to make sure there's a safe person that can be contacted in case they have to return."
*Some names have been changed.
Written by Marcella Carnevale
Print this page Email this page to a friend Add to favourites
