Forced marriages are a violation of human rights. End it!

Soheila Sharifi

Every year more than 1,000 British and European girls, many in their teens are sent to Pakistan, India, Yemen, Algeria and other Islamist countries to visit their relatives, only to discover that they have been secretly married off to a man they have never seen. Many of them are taken to remote villages with no chance of escape. They normally have no access to a telephone or post office, in order to seek help. For many of these girls, this marriage equates being, beaten up and raped repeatedly by a stranger who is called a husband.

These extreme cases are still a small percentage of arranged marriages, which take place every day in Europe. Thousands of girls from Islamist communities are taken from their schools and forced into lives they have no wish to enter. Each year a considerable number of young girls run away from their homes, escaping underage, forced marriages or unbearable Islamic teachings towards women.

Although these girls are European citizens, they receive little protection from European governments and local authorities when they refuse their family’s verdicts. In the name of cultural relativism, the most inhumane, religious acts are tolerated by society, including allowing families to send their daughters to schools wearing the Islamic veil; school authorities obey families’ wishes for excluding their young daughters from swimming, dancing and other activities. Teachers and head teachers are aware that Hina, Nadia, Rashida and many more who have not returned from their school holidays are likely to be trapped somewhere in India or Pakistan, but there is no system to oblige them to seek explanation from these girls’ families.

For many years the issue of forced and arranged marriages has led to hot discussions, publicity and disagreement among politicians, sociologists and educational authorities. Whenever a young girl is threatened or runs away from a forced marriage or when a brave young girl manages to tell her story to the public, the wounds open up again and the whole society feels disgusted by what is happening under its nose. Soon, however, people go back to their normal lives, leaving hundreds of girls and women to struggle with their fate.

There have been some attempts to put a stop to these inhumane actions. In Britain, the Home Office has established a working group since August 1999. This group aims to challenge and change people’s attitudes in order to prevent forced marriages. The organisers of this group do not intend to change the law, as they believe the law is clear and sufficient in this regard. Instead they are trying to facilitate dialogues between young people and their elders, inform the public about the consequences of forced marriages on individuals and families and educate people about human rights and family life.

The group has been criticised by women activists for deficiencies in their tactics of tackling the issue of forced marriage. Some of these activists believe stricter laws are required in dealing with families who force their children into marriage. They also call for the government to play a more active role in supporting and defending the victims of forced marriages.

We at the International Campaign for the Defence of Women’s Rights in Iran (ICDWRI) know how Islamic rules and regulations suppress women and violate their rights. We consider ourselves part of a strong movement that fights for equality and freedom in society. We believe that forced marriages are an absolute violation of human rights and an end has to come to arranged, forced and under aged marriages immediately.

European governments are responsible for the provision of full protection for girls who runaway from their families and Islamic rules.