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Posts Tagged ‘forced marriage’

Afghan women escape marriage through suicide

As many as 80 percent of marriages in Afghanistan take place without the consent of the bride, who is often a child. Many of them see killing themselves as the only way out.

Weddings are one of the few occasions in Afghanistan when families and friends can forget their sorrows and the ongoing violence in their country and have some fun. It is also traditional for the bride to put on a sad face because she is leaving her family; she is not allowed to smile. However, for many brides this is not an act. They really are unhappy at their weddings and not because they are leaving their families but because they are being forced into a marriage against their will.

 

Read more: http://www.dw.de/afghan-women-escape-marriage-through-suicide/a-16750044

‘I wish I had died’: Girl struck 15 times with an axe by her BROTHER in attempted ‘honour killing’

A 17-year-old girl whose brother tried to murder her in an ‘honour killing’ said she wishes she had died after surviving an axe attack, disowned by her family for escaping a forced marriage .At the age of 12, Gul Meena was married off to a 60-year-old man instead of being sent to school in Pakistan.Every day he would hit her. She would beg him to stop but he carried on, ignoring her tears. My family would hit me when I complained,’ she told CNN. ‘They told me you belong in your husband’s house – that is your life.’ In November last year, Gul packed a bag and ran away from her husband with a young Afghan man. ‘I’d tried to kill myself with poison several times but it didn’t work,’ she said. ‘I hated my life and I had to escape.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2304322/Gul-Meena-struck-15-times-axe-BROTHER-honour-killing-attempt-wishes-died-day.html#ixzz2PsM4joHU

A refuge for brides from forced marriages

After years of debate on the issue of forced marriage, Austria is taking the bull by the horns by launching a project to provide emergency refuge for female victims.

 

Read more: http://www.west-info.eu/a-refuge-for-brides-from-forced-marriages/

Nearly Half of Teenage Girls in Forced Marriages in South Sudan

Nearly half of South Sudanese girls between 15 and 19 years old are married. Some were as young as 12 years old when they were forced to marry men who, in many cases, were far older than them. The Old Man Can Feed Us So You Will Marry Him, a new report from Human Rights Watch, documents these facts and describes the terrible consequences of forced marriage for so many girls in South Sudan.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/nearly-half-of-teenage-girls-in-forced-marriages-in-south-sudan.html#ixzz2PJb197vB

 

 

Deputy Commissioner speaks out against forced marriages

Women who find themselves victims of forced marriage and honour based violence are being urged by Derbyshire’s Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Hardyal Dhindsa, to seek help from the police.

Mr Dhindsa, speaking out in the lead-up to International Women’s Day on Friday, said: “Forced marriage has far-reaching impacts, and particularly with regard to safeguarding children and families.

“I am, however, pleased to say that multi-agency professional help is increasingly emerging. Both the police and partner agencies know about these crimes and ready to help victims find a solution.”

He added: “Only this week we saw the launch of a Government-funded smartphone Freedom app. It provides information and sources of help aimed not just at potential victims – who so often don’t know where to go for help – but also at their friends, teachers and professionals.”

He also acknowledged Prime Minister David Cameron’s promise to make forced marriage a criminal offence and said he hoped it would be sooner rather than later. It is hoped that legislation will be brought forward this year or next.

 

Read more: http://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/local/deputy-commissioner-speaks-out-against-forced-marriages-1-5476709

 

Groomed for sex at 12

Groomed for sex at 12, stabbed to death at 17: Shocking life of white teenage mother murdered after Asian lover rejected her child

Teenage girl stabbed to death for bringing “shame” on two Asian families. She had a brief fling with a married man and became pregnant with his child while she was in a sexual relationship with another.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2069055/Laura-Wilson-Groomed-sex-12-stabbed-death-17.html

Groomed for sex at 12, stabbed to death at 17: Shocking life of white teenage mother murdered after Asian lover rejected her child

A teenage student stabbed to death and dumped in a canal was groomed for sexual exploitation by adults from the age of 12, it has been revealed.

Laura Wilson, 17, had been tracked by social services since 2005 after she was identified as being ‘at risk’ of sexual exploitation by British Pakistani men.

But their work focused on other girls who were more closely associated with abusers in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

 The student was murdered in October last year after bringing ‘shame’ on two Asian families.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2069055/Laura-Wilson-Groomed-sex-12-stabbed-death-17.html#ixzz2RrA9Opuw

 

On BBC Tees Radio

Barry Coppinger, The Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland and Yasmin Khan, Vela Group – Talk about Honour Based Violence and Forced Marriages in our Region.

https://www.haloproject.org.uk/img/page/halo-inverview.mp3_page_image.mp3

COMMISSIONER BACKS NEW DRIVE TO TACKLE ‘HONOUR’ VIOLENCE AND FORCED MARRIAGES

Cleveland’s Police and Crime Commissioner has today pledged to back a new initiative aimed at tackling what he described as the ‘misery and suffering’ caused by so-called honour-based violence and forced marriages.

Barry Coppinger, speaking at the launch of the HALO Project held in Middlesbrough, stressed that, as well as providing support to victims, it was crucial that the police and other agencies had the expertise to develop their services.

Led by Tees Valley Inclusion and backed by a wide range of partners, the HALO project aims to provide a focal point of contact which can deal sensitively and confidentially with victims, as well as providing guidance for agencies on how they can meet their needs effectively.

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