Forced marriage may be outlawed
October 24th 2005, 13:25 Jeff Sela
Apparently the UK government is considering whether to outlaw the practice of forced marriage. It has already set up a special unit of the Foreign Office to deal with the problem in January, but some activists are calling for more definitive action. The government is consultating on the issue:
A consultation has now been launched on whether a specific criminal [offence] would help us combat forced marriage. It also seeks views on how any proposed offence might be formulated and issues surrounding its enforcement such as the extent to which our criminal law could apply to acts undertaken overseas. The consultation also seeks views on what penalties of such possible offence should be.
The danger is, of course, that some might use such a law as an excuse to attack the government for discriminating particular ethnic groups or religions, but surely it's a human rights issue that should be dealt with by the law? From the Women's eNews article:
[Narina] Anwar, a devout Muslim, says foolish notions of Islam and family honor are also used as a reason for forcing women into marriages. “We need to get across the message that forced marriage is not culture or religion but an ugly abuse hidden in a blanket of so-called family bonds. Parents need to consider what is right and wrong, and not sacrifice their children for family honor.”
