15 Mar What is the reason for the rising number of forced marriages in the Afghan community?
The Office for National Statistics estimated that there were 76,000 Afghans living in the UK in 2015. According to the forced marriage unit, the number of cases of forced marriages of Afghan women in the UK was risen from 1% to 1.6% by 2017. Meaning an estimate of 1216 Afghans are forced in to marriages; mostly women.
Back in 2014, forced marriages became a criminal offence in England and punishable by up to 7 years in prison.
Despite this being a criminal offence, forced marriages in the Afghan community are continuing to rise over the years. Many women’s organisations are working hard to ensure women from different backgrounds are given the freedom and choice many people take for liberty, but the problem seizes to exist, and it is reported that only one in 30 cases will actually lead to prosecution.
Many reports have suggested that the biggest factor in forced marriages are the deeply rooted cultural traditions within the household, as well as the reluctancy of the victim to report the crime.
Many victims are afraid in reporting crimes that can cause trouble for their family, and therefore suffer in silence.
Forced marriage activist Manija Omar, believes that many Afghan families use emotional blackmailing as a way of coercing their daughters into agreeing to arrange and force marriages.
Miss Omar believes that there is no scriptural support of forced marriage in any religious book, but religion is still used by the older generation of not just the Afghan community, but many middle eastern families, as an excuse of getting things done their way, so that “shame” is not brought on the family and their honour is kept intact.
“The main thing I found in my research was that a lot of the middle to elder generation who had migrated from Afghanistan to the UK, constantly made comparisons about what arranged marriages and forced marriages are like back home and how it is almost non-existent here in the UK”
“They would say if it did exist, it was through the fault of the western influences, instead of looking at the root of the problem”
Miss Omar, who was previously a trustee of ‘British Afghan women’s society’, is now looking to open her own Afghan women’s forced marriage centre where she states will be different from any other women’s organisation or helpline, as she believes that “many victims whilst calling helplines are told to either run away from their homes or report their families” who are forcing them into a marriage, however, she states that most Asian or Muslim women will not do that, and therefore just let the abuse continue; she believes that her centre will be different because they “will seek to advice the families of the victims and contact them as well as the victim, instead of suggesting the victim runs away.”
An Afghan Imam (Islamic leader) in London, has stated that many older generations have given religion a backseat, and more priority to cultures and traditions they have led and made up themselves, but have used religions name as a way of coercing their daughters into doing what they want.
“The law of Islam regarding a marriage (Nikkah), the Islamic way is that the boy and girl must have some sort of an understanding with each other. There are some families however who marry their daughters by force for money and power, this is not the law of Islam. The only way Islam says a marriage is permitted, is if both the girl and boy have met, and they must both be Muslims, and after the girl and boy have agreed out of their own will, then they can go ahead with a Nikkah (Islamic marriage). You then invite a couple of elders in the family as well as an Imam who will recite some verses of the Quran. And that is how a Nikkah is meant to be the Shariah way. Anything besides this way is not the Islamic way.”
“Everything else is culture created. Culture is not in Islam. We should be living according to the Quran and not according to culture. Culture is what’s created by people around the world to fit their own laws and rules.”
Miss Nazifa Habibi, 35, from Afghanistan, recalls being emotionally blackmailed by her father at the age of 16, into marrying her then husband Naveed, who was 10 years older than her, and has suffered years of abuse at the hands of her husband.
“I married Naveed, that’s my ex-husbands name; when I was 16, as there was not a lot of income in my family, and it was a way solve that problem.”
“The problems started as soon as we moved in together…he used to hit me all the time… there was one incident in particular, when I was waiting for a client, and he held a scissor against my throat and threatened to kill me if there was another client.”
Popular organisations such as the ‘Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation’ have been campaigning for the rights of women for years. The organisation has launched a short film in hope that the government will make every school “honour” based violence, forced marriage and female genital mutilation safe.
Similarly, a Yorkshire school has taught its students a new technique in tackling forced marriages. Students at a secondary school in Harehills have been given a metal spoon in order to raise awareness about “honour”-based abuse and forced marriage. They have advised students to keep the metal spoon hidden in their underwear, so the hidden metal in the underwear will be detected by airport scanners and can stop children being flown abroad.
Another organisation, ‘The Afghan Central Asian Association’ provides help to Afghan women who are facing issues in their lives and need professional advice as well as counselling.
The organisation provides services such as group counselling on Saturdays for women. The service is run by an Afghan woman. The service aims to offer help for women who are going through difficult phases in their lives and require emotional help. Mainly women who are facing family pressures and require legal advice. The organisations aim to help these women by offering them English classes, preparing them for interviews, helping them find jobs and homes etc.
Founder of ACAA, Dr Nassimi said, “we have workshops every week… and have experts coming from different sectors”
“Not only are these workshops a safe space for these women, but also a place to network and essentially make friends and a great way to gain confidence…”
IKWRO’s research has shown that the number of forced marriages and honour based violence has risen by 53% since 2014, showing that there is a clear link between the two. Many victims who have refused a forced marriage, have had their lives threatened, and there have been many cases which have led to honour killings.
Mr Nazir Afzal, the former head of the North West Crown Prosecution Service, has told ‘The Halo Project’, a charity set up specifically to support victims of honour and forced marriage, that the new legislation with the threat of seven years in prison is “needed to make progress.”
“One of the major things stopping victims coming forward is the codes of silence that exist in the family.
“It’s like the mafia. You cover up, as you are so scared of the consequences,” he says.
“Victims are not receiving the justice they deserve and this is why this new legislation matters. It’s to help victims – it’s all victim-led.”
Home Secretary Sajid Javid has promised to do more to prevent forced marriages after charities warned the government was failing to protect women and girls.
Mr Javid said forced marriage was a “despicable, inhumane, uncivilised practice”.
He ensures that “We will be doing more to combat it and support victims.”
However, some women’s organisations felt that not much action was taken by the government, in order to ensure that women in the UK had the right to make decisions for themselves.
Many people are confused in distinguishing the difference between arranged and forced marriages. Arrange marriages take place with both parties’ consent, although it is set up by their family, they are given the decision whether or not to accept the proposal, however in forced marriages, the individuals involved are blackmailed in a way; it could be emotionally or by abusive and threatening behaviour into accepting the proposal. Forced marriage is different to arranged marriage where families are involved in selecting a partner but it is up to the individuals to decide whether or not to enter the marriage.
Jasvinder Sanghera, founder of Karma Nirvana, and supporter of forced marriage victims, has said that, “Even when officials know it’s a forced marriage, they see tradition, culture or religion and they’re reticent to deal with it. They are turning a blind eye.”
Police were also given the right to issue Forced Marriage Protection Orders when they deemed necessary. The forced marriage protection orders can impose restrictions on anyone involved in order to prevent the marriage taking place or to protect the victim. If the order was breached, it is punishable by up to five years in prison.
Since 2013, the number of people given any kind of help or support by the Forced Marriage Unit has largely decreased from more than 1,300 to 1,196.
By Moona Popal
