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A West Yorkshire Police boss will host a dedicated web chat discussing forced marriage.
Mark Burns-Williamson, Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire, is hosting the web chat to give members of the public the chance to talk about the issue. It will be held from 7pm to 8pm on Tuesday, March 22.
Hairdressers and beauticians are to be trained to spot the signs of forced marriage.
Slough charity Jeena International is launching an initiative in the Houses of Parliament later.
Founder Rani Bilku said people in the wedding industry would be trained to identify potential victims and know who to alert. Potential signs included a booking being made days ahead of the event or by someone other than the bride.
Ms Bilku said: “If a professional thinks, something doesn’t add up, we want to make sure they know where to go.
Read More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-35742868
Ahead of the start of the school Easter holiday, West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and West Yorkshire Police is reminding people of the signs to look out for of forced marriage and honour-based violence.
A forced marriage is where one or both people do not (or in cases of people with learning disabilities, cannot) consent to the marriage and pressure or abuse is used.
The pressure put on people to marry against their will can be physical (including threats, actual physical violence and sexual violence) or emotional and psychological (for example, when someone is made to feel like they’re bringing shame on their family). Financial abuse (taking your wages or not giving you any money) can also be a factor.
From June 2014, it became a crime to force someone to marry against their will.
Over the school holidays intelligence suggests that there tends to be an increase in forced marriages. In the run up to, and over the easter holidays, officers are working with schools, airport staff and the wider community in raising awareness of the signs to spot that someone may be being forced to marry against their will or be a victim of honour-based violence.
IF NISHA’s ordeal was an isolated one, it would be bad enough.
That many young women have had to endure similar experiences is a reminder that our society still has a long way to go to eradicate honour-based violence and forced marriage.
The Karma Nirvana charity took 126 calls from victims in Leeds last year and 358 from West Yorkshire.
“Without a doubt, Leeds has more cases than what we are seeing reflected in the figures,” said charity founder Jasvinder Sanghera. “The worrying thing is there are young people across the city that don’t know that forced marriage is a criminal offence and it is wrong. They have taught to be silent. “It is under-reported and we have a duty to bring it above the ground.
“We want an increase in the number of cases being reported, to reduce isolation and ultimately save lives.” There is hope, as Nisha demonstrated when she managed to break free from her domestic prison.
Read more: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/your-leeds/yep-says/yep-says-backing-the-fight-to-eradicate-honour-violence-1-7778652#ixzz42JtnDxIW
Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy made a powerful speech at the #Oscars last night, after winning the award for best documentary short. But rather than using the platform to gush thanks, Obaid-Chinoy took the chance to speak out about the topic of her film: #honourkillings.
The practice – where men kill their own female family members for ‘dishonouring’ them, typically by having relationships they disapprove of – is particularly common in Pakistan.
Obaid-Chinoy’s film A Girl In The River: The Price of Forgiveness shines a light on such killings. It tells the story of Saba Qaiser, a real young woman in Pakistan who survived attempted murder by her father and uncle after she married someone they felt ‘dishonoured’ the family.
Her film has garnered international attention, leading officials in Pakistan to promise they will work to end the illegal practice.
The Forced Marriage Unit has released a new film to demonstrate the devastating impact of forced marriage on victims and their families.
Timed to coincide with the October half term – school holidays are always high risk period – the hard hitting film builds upon the Government’s world-leading work to tackle the issue at home and abroad.
The aim of the film is to raise public awareness of the impact of forced marriage, and warn of the criminal consequences of involvement, building on the outreach and education work of the FMU. Told from the perspective of a victim’s older brother, who is complicit in arranging her forced marriage but unaware of its true impact until it is too late, the film represents the first time the FMU have directly targeted family members.
Read More: http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/update/2016-02-16/new-video-shows-impact-of-forced-marriage/
Birmingham Central Mosque heard details of a teenager’s horrific forced marriage last year it has emerged – days after trustees denied dealing with any such cases.
The 18-year-old had been ordered to marry her 30-year-old cousin in Pakistan after being repeatedly being beaten by her parents and was warned she would die unless she agreed. But the brave victim later managed to escape the marriage and enlisted the help of the Muslim Women’s Network UK (MWNUK) to represent her at a Sharia divorce hearing, based at the mosque.
Yet mosque trustees denied dealing with any forced marriage cases this week in a statement defending its under-fire Chairman Muhammad Afzal.
The statement followed a complaint from Shaista Gohir, chair of MWNUK, who said Mr Afzal had denied forced marriages were an issue during a meeting with her group in December. She also alleged he stated more men than women were victims of domestic violence. City councillor Mr Afzal was forced to stand down as Lord Mayor elect on Monday after being caught on tape calling David Cameron an Islamophobe at a protest meeting about Prevent terrorism legislation and planned Ofsted inspections of madrassas.
Read More: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/birmingham-central-mosque-hear-forced-10831288
David Cameron’s equality “tsar” has blamed liberal “hand-wringing” and political correctness for preventing abuse in the name of multi-culturalism.
Louise Casey suggested abuses such as forced marriage were being allowed to continue because some officials are more interested in PC language.
Ms Casey, who is leading a Government review of opportunities and segregation among ethnic minorities, indicated that British authorities suffer from a hesitancy to tackle deep-seated problems in some ethnic minority communities.
“Take forced marriage. We let some of that happen because we’re so politically correct in wanting our multi-cultural Britain we forget to talk about equality,” she said.
The Republic of Ireland is set to introduce a new law which criminalises forced marriage.
New legislation proposed by the Department of Justice would make “intentional conduct of luring an adult or a child . . . with the purpose of forcing [them] to enter into a marriage” an indictable offense. There is currently no specific prohibition against the practice in Irish law.
The new law is expected to be enacted by the end of next year, the Irish Times reports. It will come as part of a new government strategy to deal with sexual, domestic and gender-based violence.
Other proposed policies include the abolition of exemptions for underage marriages. Currently, people under the age of 18 can marry in Ireland with a ‘Court Exemption Order’. To get one, the couple must demonstrate that their marriage is in their best interests. The Department of Justice hopes that eliminating these orders will also reduce the number of forced marriages.
Read More: http://www.marilynstowe.co.uk/2016/01/21/ireland-to-outlaw-forced-marriage/
