Girls Escaping Forced Marriage Conceal Spoons In Clothing To Set Off Metal Detectors At Airports
Girls have found a unique way to escape the clutches of their parents on their way to a situation that may result in a forced marriage. By carrying a metal spoon?or other small metal object in their undergarments, the girls are being tagged by airport security and removed from the immediate custody of their parents, where they can request assistance. From there they are able to contact agencies that will help them escape.
The idea originated with a United Kingdom charity, Karma Nirvana,?that is working tirelessly to stop the cultural tradition of forced marriages in many countries. Formed in 1993 by a Sikh woman that has been disowned by her own family for refusing a forced marriage at the age of 14, Karma Nirvana utilizes a group of dedicated people to fight against Forced Marriage and Honor Based Abuse. The founder, Jasvinder Sanghera says she is seen as the shameful and dishonorable daughter.
The charity receives about 600 calls in a month, and supplies help for girls who might otherwise have nowhere to turn. The website contains a wealth of information for women and men that are being forced into marriages against their will. There is a speed link to Google in the corner of each page, so that potential victims researching help sites don’t get caught by their abusers. The site has a lengthy section of tips on deleting search cookies, general online safety, finding information online and help agencies, and what to do in bad situations.
There is?difference between forced and arranged marriages
Many people get confused between a forced marriage and an arranged marriage. While both are centuries out of date and should be abandoned, at least the arranged marriage carries the mutual consent of both bride and groom. A forced marriage is often arranged when children are very young, sometimes before they are even born.
?A forced marriage is where one or both people do not (or in cases of people with learning or physical disabilities, cannot) consent to the marriage and pressure or abuse is used. A forced marriage is when the potential bride, groom or both are forced into marrying against their will, usually by their families.?
?An arranged marriage is very different from a forced marriage.
A marriage in which families take a leading role, but both parties have the free will and choice to accept or decline the arrangement. Unlike in forced marriages, in an arranged marriage both the bride and groom choose whether or not they want to marry the person suggested to them by their families. Crucially, the decision to marry always remains with the couple. It is a free and voluntary decision that can be unmade at any time, without consequence.?
Families that practice forced marriages often make attempts to hide or disguise what they are doing because forced marriages of underage children has been made illegal in many countries. They arrange to transfer custody of the girls during holiday breaks from school, where travel abroad is more of an expected ?vacation? activity. Underage marriage, while illegal in many countries, is still a common practice despite the laws that have been enacted to protect children from these often abusive relationships.
?Forced marriages are particularly common during the summer holiday break, when there is a minimal chance of a child’s absence being noticed. The Foreign Office’s Forced Marriage Unit received 400 reports in the three months up to the end of August last year, though it is feared that many more cases go unreported. More than a third of those affected are under 16.?
Unfortunately, forced marriages are practiced in almost every country in some fashion. Some are based on cultural or religious beliefs held by the parents. Even in the United States, some girls are taken back to the parent’s home country and offered into marriages arranged long ago. Organizations like Karma Nirvana will continue to thrive as long as the need is prevalent. As a society, we must step forward and insist on moving into the 21st century.
