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March 10, 2006
Belgium: Muslim Forced Marriages To Be Banned
Currently, the only country in the world which has a ban against forced marriages is Norway. Britain's Tony Blair has spoken of a desire to ban forced marriages, but in Tonyesque style, there has been little political will to implement any practical legislation.
Expatica reports that Belgium's Cabinet today approved a proposal from the Justice Minister, Laurette Onkelinx, to ban these marriages under Belgian law.
Forced marriages affect almost exclusively Muslim families, which may explain why Blair, greedy for the Muslim vote, has not pushed for legislation.
In Belgium, the Muslim demographic where forced marriages occur is comprised of Moroccans and Turks. In 1999 a survey found that among women from these categories who were 40 or above, 27% had been forced to marry partners chosen for them.
The same survey found that among Turkish young women, aged 17 to 24, 13% had been compelled into such a marriage. Among Moroccan girls of the same age, 8% were victims of forced marriage.
Another study in Francophone education establishments from December 2003 to June 2004, among a base of 1,200 respondents aged 15 to 18 revealed the following results: 73.4% of those questioned said forced marriages were still being practiced, and 23% claimed to have personally come into contact with the custom.
When Belgium's prohibition becomes enshrined in law, those actually proved to have forced a marriage can receive a jail term from one month to two years, or maximum fine of between 500 and 2,500 Euros (equivalent to $596 and $2,978 US).
At present, if a marriage has been forced, only one of the partners can apply to have the marriage annulled. If a marriage has been made under threats, such a recourse opens a spouse to the same threats which brought the marriage into existence.
The new proposal will allow public prosecutors and courts to annul such a marriage, without either marriage partner making an application for dissolution of the marriage.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at March 10, 2006 6:54 PM
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