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| Britain | |
| UK launches campaign against forced marriages | |
| 2009-10-07 | |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] The U.K. government launched a campaign against forced marriages among members of minority communities, especially in Southeast Asia and the Muslim world, according to media reports Sunday. The campaign involves the distribution of a series of videos to instruct relevant personnel such as police officers, psychologists and schools, on dealing with forced marriage complaints, Al Arabiya reported. The Forced Marriage Unit (FMU), a specialist body established by the Foreign Office and the Home Office, deals each year with around 1,000 complaints of forced marriages, now becoming one of the most prevalent forms of domestic violence in the U.K. This year witnessed a 16% increase in cases of forced marriages, the majority of which come from Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi families as well as several Middle Eastern countries. Most victims of forced marriages are females under 18. However, males are not exempt from the practice. It is estimated 14% of boys are also forced into arranged marriages. British nationals
FMU also helps British nationals who are forced into marriage by their families while in their countries of origin. When Homaira Abdeen returned to Bangladesh, her family tried to put her in a mental asylum for refusing to marry a relative. "I have nothing against my family," she told Al Arabiya. "They gave me a good education and helped me with my career. Tradition is what made them detain me." The British embassy interfered and the Bangladeshi courts issued an unprecedented ruling that Abdeen be released and go back to the U.K. Domestic violence is not much different from the torture that takes place in detention camps like Guantanamo, said Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty Organization. Liberty, also known as the National Council for Civil Liberties, was founded in 1934 to promote the equal treatment and personal freedom of all individuals. "It is also important to express indignation at forced marriages in front of family and friends," she told Arabiya. Hundreds of girls from immigrant families are suffering from forced marriages. In many cases, they are abducted and brought to their countries of origin where they cannot get help since society, including their family members, strictly abide by traditions. Usually the family forces the girl to marry a relative chosen through an agreement made with the relative's parents. Girls are usually beaten by their parents when they refuse to proceed with the marriage. If a girl gives in then seeks divorce, she could be murdered by her father or brother since she is considered to have committed an honor crime. An anti-forced marriage law was recently issued in the U.K. stating that parents who force their children to marry could face up to two years in jail. The new law also states that the victim's friends or a even a police officer have the right to report a forced marriage. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Too late, the UK has parallel societies already. |
| Posted by: HammerHead 2009-10-07 07:35 |