Forced marriage: a global issue
Author: Professor Joyce Harper
Forced marriage is a huge global issue. Many cultures practice arranged marriages, which should have the consent of both partners. But in some cases the woman may object to marrying the man but is forced to due to family pressure. She may be tricked, physically threatened and/or emotionally blackmailed into the marriage.
In some cultures, the marriage may be when the female is still a child and cannot object to her parents wishes.
In forced marriages, the woman may be subjected to mental and physical violence as some men feel that their wives should obey them.
And if the women try to leave the marriage or refuse to get married, they may be subjected to an “honor killing” – where the family kill the woman for bringing shame on their family.
The UN views forced marriage as a form of human rights abuse. “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that a woman’s right to choose a spouse and enter freely into marriage is central to her life and dignity, and equality as a human being. The Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery also prohibits marriage without right to refuse of herself out of her parents’, family’s and other persons’ will”.
A recent report in the UK shows that more than 1200 suspected forced marriages were reported in the UK in 2015. But this may be the tip of the iceberg as many women will not report their case to the authorities. “In June last year, a Muslim businessman became the first person to be successfully prosecuted under new forced marriage laws, which were introduced in 2014. The 34-year-old man from Cardiff, described as ‘arrogant, manipulative and devious’, was jailed for 16 years for making a 25-year-old woman marry him under duress. The court was told how he carried out a six-month campaign of ‘repeated and systematic rape’ before threatening to kill her father if she refused to be his wife.”
Read More:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_marriage
Image credit: http://www.thecommentator.com/article/521/why_the_uk_must_criminalise_forced_marriage
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