Examination of Forced Marriages in the UK - Dissertation Example

1 An Examination of Forced Marriages and Its Implications Within the UK 2 A Question to Explore Forced marriage bursts when the marital issue isconducted in the absence of full consent of one party or both and where duress is exploited (Mezzofiore, 2012). This paper will deliver some notions that will significantly increase someone’s awareness of the former issue, in the light of the United Kingdom setting. The purpose of this study will be depicted in section two, which will be interpreted, and further, the researcher’s initial perspective will be explained. The significance of the topic, followed by the background and context are delineated to give emphasis on the emergence of the topic. Moreover, the literature review will be conducted so as to deliver the clear arguments, which will tend to stipulate implications under the last section. All of the contents in this paper will assist one to fathom the needs of alteration in a modern setting, and demand for growth especially by enforcing human rights mandates. 2.0 Aims 2.1. List of Aims To provide a background of forced marriage, in the absence of mainstream and commonalities that are happening in the contemporary setting today. To depict the current qualitative data of forced matrimony, so one can realise how the pace of growth has been sliding and giving birth into another bulk of detrimental concerns. To open the mind of the state that it is not the general welfare of the people that they are protecting if they focus on economic progress and development. 2.2 Interpretation of Aims Such aims are created to picture out the outcome of the contents of this paper. The first aim signifies that the paper will not only depict the nature of forced marriage as it has already been widely known, but also to provide the public that such notion has been claimed in different perspectives. The second aim shows the reality that such current record will make one ponder about what could the conduct be if consistent practice will be made. Lastly, the third aim will promote awareness to the public, especially to the state that forced marriage is something that can ruin the life of the people living in a particular nation that impedes social developments with its social policies that are unfounded with universal human rights. 2.3 Researcher’s Initial Ideas/Thoughts/Perspectives From the inception of the conduct of this paper, the researcher really thought that forced marriage has existed in the mainstream, and arrange marriage is different from it--which has been rectified. However, in the writer’s perspective, forced marriage was really detrimental, and it profoundly depicted violence against women, but did not classify it as a felony towards human rights. Generally, the writer believed that families resulting from forced matrimony can still be managed well, with love and care, especially when two persons begin to reside in one house. 2.4 Significance of the Topic The dearth of literature regarding the proliferating issues of forced marriage is an indication of delving into the topic deeper. For instance, a tiny notch of sociologists has been studying the issue, and their number depicts tolerance to the concern. To begin with the situation and the emerging victims, it is precise to know that the topic is far more than significant. When it comes to life and death situations, the public should commence on constructing resolutions rather than discussing the issue. However, because the issue has been neglected, educating first the public is the first phase before giving resolutions to the conduct. 3.0 Background and Context The issue is really set on the full consent and submission of oneself to be engaged in a conduct, which decisions involved are significant because it will dictate someone’s future. It has been an issue of threat or coercion, force, and dishonor, which one tries to escape from the reality just because someday or at this moment, he or she will tie with someone that is considerably a perfect stranger or an unwanted person. This should be the basis of formulating a social policy. Literature depicted that forced marriage is not an issue of cultural setting, but rather a confusion among major communities linking this conduct to the extent of reality--no one claims that this issue emerges because they claim it as an arrange marriage. However, the younger generation today claims that the so-called arranged matrimony is indeed compelled (Phillips, 2007, p.66). Further, the issue of dispersion is also a factor to consider why such social policy, or protection against women violence and violence against human rights is not feasible (An-Na'im, 2000, p.2). With this on hand, and as a proof, UK’s demographic development can be the predominant reason why such conduct is held extant, and the state is still reluctant to criminalise forced marriage. 4.0 Literature Review 4.1 Key Evidence Aggregate forced marriages have summed up to 5,000 to 8,000 cases annually (Mezzofiore, 2012). Plan UK depicts that in every three seconds, there is an equivalent to one girl, under the age of eighteen, that is tied into a forced marriage. Notably, this notion is discouraged by a single entity--Convention on the Elimination on All Forms of Discrimination against Women or CEDAW, which vetoed the idea of marriage before the age of “full maturity and capacity to act,” and eighteen-year-old girls are paragons of such kind (“Early and Forced Marriage,” n.d.). In fact, the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights has, as well, delineated that marriage should be instilled with “free and full consent,” and whosoever of both parties that are under eighteen, such consent cannot be guaranteed as “free and full” (“Early and Forced Marriage,” n.d.). 4.2 Key Theoretical Contributions Some would interchange the concept of forced marriage to the notion of arranged marriage, but these two are divergent facets. The detrimental concern is tapped with the issue of forced marriage owing to its infringement of human rights. Arranged marriage can have a favorable outcome. Notably, when steered with mutual agreement, such facet will become a salient source of family integration (Masroor, 2012). However, to say no is always an option for both parties (Mezzofiore, 2012). Another notion is also bursting when it comes to marriage: parental obligation and parents will. Children’s choice of partner should be conferred by their parents because parental blessings are so significant to household harmony, but parents have no right to select their marital partner (Masroor, 2012). 4.3 Key Sociologist and Their Work A known sociologist, Nazia Khanum, has created a 90-page report over one year period regarding the issue of forced marriage in her own hometown Luton. She published the report and it depicted that the issue was far greater than what had been previously perceived (Marx, 2008). It is because she had unearthed that the girls tied in forced marriage were living in complete misery; they were compelled to be tied owing to some threats bombarded by their own parents, such as maternal commitment to suicide or dishonor the family through divorce (Morrissey, 2008). Another sociologist, Giddens, does not support the idea of forced marriage; however, at a certain extent, he delineates that couples can grow to love each other as they lived together in a home, raised their children, and share everything about life (1997 cited in Crabtree, 2004). 4.4 Key Debates Sameem Ali and Sunny Hundal‘s debate about penalization of forced marriage in the UK had happened last March 3, 2013 on CNN. The issue commences when Sameem Ali, at her eighteenth, decided to escape from her husband because of immoral and indecent acts. During her preteen years, she was forced by her mother to marry the person, and later on, she had been prostituted. She said that forced marriage should be criminalised so that the victims will come forth and report the case. In the perspective of Sunny Hundal, he depicted that criminalising the issue is not feasible owing to a dearth of evidence that such conduct is notably detrimental (“Forced Marriage Criminalization,” 2012). Another debate in the UK in the context of coercion and consent over forced marriage had also emerged in 2009, which tackled socio-cultural construction of the human being, the intersecting structural disparity of features of women, control, coerce or duress, pressure, threat, and violence (Anitha & Gill, 2009). 4.5 Other Contributions / Sources The issue of forced marriage has become widely-known not because of overexposures or multi-faceted media release and other means of diffusing detrimental issues, but by the campaign work of society and female clusters that support the advocacy of liberating the victims of forced marriage. The conduct of forced matrimony is a precise indication of violence against women and a succinct infringement of justice. Such conduct is a crime of honor, and honor killings are two most significant issues that can be the grounds of criminalising forced marriage owing to these practices can eventually result to murder. Given that the most pressing question arises as why the state is so loath to penalise an entity who compels someone to marry (Bano, 2011, pp. 202-203). 4.6 Rationale of Choice of Theoretical Framework The topic has been developed, not just to open the mind of the public about the potential detrimental concerns that may arise for someone who is indulged in forced ties, but also to let the public fathom that matrimony is not a conduct of parental will, but rather of full consent and submission of oneself to marry a person. This is a very clear perspective of violence, not just against women, but generally, of human rights. The right to choose a partner in life and the right to be happy are deprived from these underage or minorities. In all forms of media, the question lies on why such an issue like this has not touched the hearts of the political and religious leaders to fully summon social policy that will enhance human relationships and protect human dignity. An entity should be provided with a prominent budget to research for millions of victims that are deprived of the power of speech because of coercion to deliver to the world that forced marriage is a murder, and it should be criminalised. References An-Na'im, A., 2000. Forced marriage. (SOAS.AC.UK) [Online] (Updated 2000) Available at: http://www.soas.ac.uk/honourcrimes/resources/file55689.pdf [Accessed 2 March 2013]. Anitha, S. & Gill, A., 2009. Coercion, consent and the forced marriage debate in the UK. Feminist Legal Studies, 17 (2), pp.165-184. Bano, S., 2011. Tackling "crimes of honour": evaluating the social and legal responses for combating forced marriages in the UK. In M.M. Idriss & T. Abbas, eds. 2011. Honour, violence, women and Islam. USA: Routledge. Ch.14. Crabtree, V., 2004. Marriage: its diversity and character. (Vexen Crabtree) [Online] (Updated 18 August 2004) Available at: http://www.humantruth.info/marriage.html [Accessed 2 March 2013]. Early and forced marriage--facts, figure and what you can do, n.d. (Plan Uk) [Online] Available at: http://www.plan-uk.org/early-and-forced-marriage/ [Accessed 2 March 2013]. Forced marriage criminalization in UK: Sameem Ali and Sunny Hundal debate, 2012. [Youtube Video] United Kingdom: JFhstohhMN. Marx, S., 2008. Thousands of missing teenagers: Britain getting concerned about forced marriages. (Spiegel Online International) [Online] (Updated 26 March 2008) Available at: http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/thousands-of-missing-teenagers-britain-getting-concerned-about-forced-marriages-a-543344.html [Accessed 2 March 2013]. Masroor, A., 2012. The forced marriage ban is welcome, but it's 20 years too late. (The Guardian) [Online] (Updated 8 June 2012) Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/08/forced-marriage-ban [Accessed 2 March 2013]. Mezzofiore, G., 2012. Morocco's Amina Filali's death sparks debate on forced marriage in UK. (International Business Times) [Online] (Updated 19 March 2012) Available at: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/316252/20120319/ amina-filali-ripamina-forced-marriage-uk-cameron.htm [Accessed 2 March 2013]. Morrissey, E., 2008. An epidemic of forced marriages in Britain. (Europe News) [Online] (Updated 26 March 2008) Available at: http://europenews.dk/en/node/8756 [Accessed 2 March 2013]. Phillips, A., 2007. 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