Cultural Issues: Forced Marriage

1418 Words6 Pages
Cultural Issues: Forced Marriage REFERENCE THIS Published: 23rd March, 2015 Last Edited: 2nd January, 2018 Disclaimer: This essay has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work written by our professional essay writers. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UK Essays. Marriage; “The legal status, condition, or relationship that results from a contract by which one man and one woman, who have the capacity to enter into such an agreement, mutually promise to live together in the relationship of Husband and wife in law for life, or until the legal termination of the relationship.” (Bouvier J, nd) In British…show more content…
This piece will describe forced marriage and the reasons why it takes place, it will also discuss some of the laws and protection offered to people affected by forced marriage. Forced marriages occur in a number of minority communities within the United Kingdom (UK) and often involve the forced spouse being sent abroad to get married or being forced to marry within the UK. Although this form of marriage is accepted and popular within some cultures, the concept of forced marriage is not favoured in the United Kingdom (Smith 2006). In 2009 the Forced Marriage Unit gave advice or support to 1682 cases of forced marriage, 86 percent involved females and 14 percent involved males. There were also many more cases that went unreported (Foreign and Commonwealth Office,…show more content…
Those involved in a forced marriage experience pressure to meet the expectations of their parents. One of the main arguments against a forced marriage is how can a person be expected to marry somebody that they do not know. Two people knowing each other before marriage allows partners to have respect and an understanding for each other's needs and wants. In a traditional British marriage, those getting wed are the primary decision makers and parents and other family members are there merely to support the couple. It is down to the people getting married whether the marriage will be successful or not. Parents and other family members' opinions may still be important but it is the individuals getting married that are the ones who should be taken into

More about Cultural Issues: Forced Marriage

Open Document