The Hindu : International : Marriages made in Britain

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Saturday, Mar 18, 2006

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International

Marriages made in Britain

Hasan Suroor

A high-profile campaign against forced marriages

LONDON: High-profile British-Asian celebrities are to help promote a new campaign by the British Government against forced marriages, a practice that is believed to be widespread among immigrants from the Indian subcontinent.

The campaign, launched on Thursday with an appeal by writer and film-maker Meera Syal, is a prelude to a possible ban on such marriages, which Ministers here have described as a form of human rights abuse.

Plans and fears

The Government has announced proposals that would allow the police to prosecute parents found guilty of compelling their daughters or sons to marry against their wishes. But there are fears that such a move might be seen by ethnic minorities as an attack on them and, instead of solving the problem, drive it underground.

As more consultations take place on how best to tackle the problem, a media campaign, that would include radio and TV advertisements, has been launched by the Home Office and the Foreign Office to create awareness about the issue. It is seen as a growing social problem among Asian communities, particularly Pakistanis. Home Office Minister Baroness Scotland, however, sought to allay fears that any particular community was being targeted saying that it was "not solely an issue facing Asian communities."

Describing it as a form of "domestic violence and a human rights abuse," the Minister said: "Forced marriage affects children, teenagers and adults from all races and religions, including Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims and Sikhs. It is not solely an issue facing Asian communities. We deal with cases in the Middle East [West Asia], Western Balkans and Africa."

Ms. Syal lent her support to the campaign, saying it was an "extremely important" effort to sensitise all members of the Asian community, young as well as old.

"For young people, they need to know that there is help out there and that it is OK to ask for help. We want the older generations to know that we respect their culture and tradition and we understand that arranged marriages have a place in society. But there is a vast difference between an arranged marriage and a forced marriage without consent," she said.

Women under 16

The Foreign Office has dealt with more than 1,000 cases of forced marriages since 2000. An overwhelming majority of victims of such marriages tend to be young women under 16.

The view in Asian circles is that the problem is grossly exaggerated because of a "cultural misunderstanding" that all arranged marriages involve an element of coercion.

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