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This briefing is intended primarily for frontline practitioners working in child and family social work. It aims to build confident social work and family support practice to recognise, prevent and intervene in forced marriage involving children and young people. The briefing is likely also to be of interest to other frontline practitioners who work with children and young people who may be at risk of forced marriage.

The briefing comprises seven sections:

1. Introduction and context

2. Differences between a forced and arranged marriage

3. Characteristics of honour-based abuse

4. Potential warning signs and indicators of forced marriage and honour-based abuse

5. Responding to cases of forced marriage

6. Forced Marriage Protection Orders

7. Resources for practitioners, victims and survivors

Unless otherwise stated, the Karma Nirvana Survivor Ambassador Panel is the source of all case studies and survivor quotes in this briefing. Karma Nirvana is a charity founded by the author of this briefing, that advocates on behalf of victims experiencing forced marriage and honour-based abuse.

Please note: If applicable, VAT charges applied will be detailed on your invoice(s). This sale is not subject to VAT.

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Recognising and responding to forced marriage

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This briefing is intended primarily for frontline practitioners working in child and family social work. It aims to build confident social work and family support practice to recognise, prevent and intervene in forced marriage involving children and young people.

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http://www.ashianasheffield.org/case_studies/case-study-1-forced-marriage/

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https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0261018309358289?journalCode=cspa

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hm gov protection orders

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https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/882532/Forced_Marriage_Unit_Statistics_2018_revised_final.pdf

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Document (need to open in NCC laptop)
- Female genital mutilation and forced marriage 115.pdf

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But I don't blame my husband for what happened

I always knew I would be forced to marry somebody I barely knew and didn't love. In my family, being a woman was all about being somebody else's property - first you belong to your parents, then your husband. I was an object, expected to wait on men and produce children.

It is an experience shared by the 3,500 people who have reported forced marriage to the police within the past three years - and the thousands more suffering in silence.

There is a difference between forced and arranged marriages. The latter is a marriage set up by family members of two people over the age of 18, who can both choose whether or not to participate. This becomes a forced marriage if either partner is unwilling or unable to give permission.

In the UK, forced marriage is illegal and has been since 2014. This includes if people are taking someone abroad or bringing them into this country for this reason. Yet, in England, it's believed that only one in 30 suspected forced marriages leads to a prosecution, and it's clear many cases are still flying under the radar.

Growing up in an Indian Hindu family, I had a lot less freedom than my two brothers. They were allowed to date girls, and go to university, but I was taught how to cook and clean. I started my A-Levels but dropped out halfway through because my parents told me to not to bother - I wouldn't be going to university. Instead, I was told that I needed to learn to be a good wife.

I was born in England, after my parents moved to the UK from India in the late 1960s. They had an arranged marriage after only knowing each other for a week and have always lived separate lives - I've never seen them hug, kiss, or even hold hands.

My childhood was very difficult. I was sexually abused by a family friend, bullied at school for being the only Asian kid in my class, then groomed and beaten by an older Pakistani Muslim man. I was seen as 'damaged goods' because of this and, aged 19, was sent to India where I had an exorcism which was supposed to "cleanse" me. Then the process to find me a husband began. I kept saying I wasn't ready and rejecting any matches, so after two months I was brought back to the UK.

One night, a few days after I returned, I ran away to a homeless shelter. I took an overdose and slit my wrists, but was devastated to wake up alive in a hospital bed.

Just two weeks after I was discharged my parents began the process of finding me a husband, putting my name up in our local temple and setting me up on Hindu dating websites.

We saw about ten men before we found my husband a couple of months later - the first few men weren't the right fit, they were deemed either too old, too forward, or from the wrong caste.

I met them all at my parents' house. I would be kept in another room while both sets of parents talked to the man, then I would be called in for a few minutes when the other family was ready to see me.

One day, the family of a man in his mid-20s contacted us through a temple visitor. I met him just for a few minutes. After that our families agreed we'd be married. I thought he seemed very quiet, and wrongly took that to mean he would be caring and kind.

In the months before our marriage, he regularly wrote me letters - he didn't live in the same town as me - saying he would "treat me like a princess".

When I showed them to my parents, they found it awkward at first as it wasn't normal to them, especially when I had cards saying that my future husband "loved" me, but after a few weeks they told me they were happy that I would be going to "a good home".

I was scared of having sex after the abuse I'd experienced. He told me we didn't have to do it on our wedding night, that we could wait until we got to know each other better.

Still, on the day of our wedding, I was terrified - in the photographs from the day I look desperately unhappy. We had a registry office wedding followed by a traditional Hindu ceremony in a temple.

The plan was for me to move into his family's home. I was only 20 years old, and the thought of living with strangers filled me with dread.

On the night of our wedding, the abuse began. My husband pinned me down while I was getting ready for bed. He got violent and, then, afterwards he called his mum to say he'd "done it now". I sat on the bed in agony, thinking this wasn't how your wedding night was supposed to go.

It was so different to the treatment he had promised me in those romantic letters.

When I moved to his hometown, things got worse. His mother was furious because she didn't think my dowry was big enough. She asked for thousands of pounds, a new car and an expensive TV from my family. But they couldn't afford it, so she punished me.

She would wake me up at 5am to clean the house every day from top to bottom, and wouldn't let me go to bed until 3am. She cut my hair and monitored what I ate - I had no privacy.

Eventually, I collapsed and ended up in hospital. Doctors called my parents, and they came to take me home - that was when I started divorce proceedings.

I didn't blame my husband for what happened. All I knew was that I wanted my freedom.

Once I was divorced, I was finally a free woman. As time went on, I started to properly rebuild my life. I had hypnotherapy and became an expert at Reiki healing, a Japanese method of stress reduction and relaxation.

I met another man and we had a daughter, although we have now sadly split up.

Now I'm in my mid-30s, happily single, and I've promised myself my daughter will never be treated like an object. I want her to know she is a human being with her own mind.

I try not to hold a grudge against my family. Like so many people from my background, they are a product of their own culture. Their parents did the same to them, and they didn't have the strength to speak out to say they wanted to marry for love.

To me, life is for finding love and for living - not simply existing and suffering.

*The names of those featured in this article have been changed

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I was a victim of forced marriage - BBC Three

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But I don't blame my husband for what happened I always knew I would be forced to marry somebody I barely knew and didn't love. In my family, being a woman was all about being somebody else's property - first you belong to your parents, then your husband.

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Child Marriage in India: Teenage Girls Forced to Marry

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Arranged Marriage And The Hard Truths Revealed In ‘Indian Matchmaking’ | NBC News

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Endogamous marriages resulting in unhealthy nation

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Endogamous marriages resulting in unhealthy nation

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Posted by Shivani Gual
When I look around my family and close relatives, I often find multiple family relations between two people. My father's sister married a man whose sister married my mother's brother. You might need a pen and a paper to figure that one out! What I intend to communicate here is that in small communities marriages among relatives is a common affair. This is known as endogamy.

Endogamous marriages are the ones that take place within a particular social group such as caste, clan, tribe, gotra, etc. The presence of thousands of castes and communities in India has led to the formation of a very fragmented and dissociated society. These castes, even though belonging to the same religion, are so different from each other that it is laborious to find similarities in their customs and traditions. As a result, marriages are found to be conventionally more successful when they are endogamous due to the familiarity between the two cultures.

Also read: Endogamous Love: On Love Jihad & Marriages In India

Endogamous marriages are the ones that take place within a particular social group such as caste, clan, tribe, gotra, etc. The presence of thousands of castes and communities in India has led to the formation of a very fragmented and dissociated society.

One of the most common endogamous groups is caste. Caste-system in India is primordial and it was first mentioned in Rig Veda, the oldest Hindu shastra. This division that varna-system created has lost its muscle today but the notion and attitudes remain in the minds of people. Every caste has its sub-castes and an imperceptible hierarchy exists which results in the formation of new endogamous groups. Due to the presence of a strong caste system in India, inter-caste marriages are overtly avoided even today.

The social and cultural gap between different endogamous groups is so significant that marriages among them are believed to destabilise and dismantle the society. Consequently, the choices for marriage unions are limited and restricted to the core primary group. When members of this group mate and have children, it is often found that these children suffer from genetic imperfections that their ancestors might have possessed. Inbreeding is one of the reasons for these 'hereditary diseases'.

Inbreeding is a phenomenon where two close relatives mate with each other. While there is a huge demand for inbreeding in animals such as dogs and cows for various reasons, it is a taboo in many human societies. Inbreeding is infamous as it results in sub-optimal heritable attributes in the inbred offspring. When a child inherits a pair of recessive genes, one from each parent, it becomes dominant even though it might have been inactive in the parent. The chances of a recessive gene being present in close relatives are higher and therefore it is more likely that an inbred child will have a genetic disease.

In our fragmented society, there are over 4000 castes and communities, some of which comprise only a few hundred people. When a group of people indulges in marriage unions through generations, it results in an aggregated gene pool due to the absence of diversity. This limited gene pool is often responsible for the transmission of recessive genes from one generation to another creating a risk of chromosomal, genetic, or congenital abnormalities.

There have been several studies to identify the pattern of diseases in consanguineous families. In Bradford, which has the highest South Asian population in England, it was found that the children born to consanguineous couples are more at risk of genetic defects, congenital abnormalities, and infant mortality. Another peculiar example of inbreeding disorder as a result of endogamous coupling is the deformity in the jaws of Spanish Habsburg dynasty rulers. Due to the incessant inbreeding across generations, the lineage suffered from a host of health problems including infertility and a high mortality rate. The last ruler of the empire, Charles II, died at a young age of 38 years without leaving any immediate heir to the throne.

Indian castes, especially the ostracised ones, have lived in isolation for a very long time as a result of the 'founder effect'. It occurs when a small group of people gets splintered off from the main population and forms a sub-population of its own. In other words, a few ancestors give rise to a large number of descendants.

A study conducted by Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology(CCMB), through the analysis of socially and linguistically distinct populations from the Indian subcontinent, has found that over 25 percent of these groups show strong founder events. Precisely it means that these populations have a higher chance of receiving genetic disorders through their ancestors. Therefore, the communities which have been alienated for centuries due to the unfortunate existence of rigid caste-system have been exposed to the detrimental ill-effects of unintended inbreeding.

The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in India have had a history of oppression by the so-called upper castes since time immemorial. Even after seventy years of independence, many castes and tribes are bound by the chains of casteism and classism. Be it the incidents of honour killings in opposition to inter-caste marriages or the discrimination with 'ex-criminal tribes', the historical suppression is still intact.

Such ostracised communities live in a closed group where they share customs and rituals, their culture and traditions matching closely with each other. Therefore, caste-endogamous marriages or marriages between members of the same group are an obvious choice for unions. These unions, many of them being consanguineous, become an accelerator in the transmission of recessive genes through the generations. The implicit inbreeding and substandard lifestyle, with the absence of quality education and hygiene in these endogamous unions, has aggravated the plight of marginalized communities while coping with health-related issues.

Genetic counseling is a technique by which the potential side-effects of inbreeding can be mitigated. The couple can make an informed choice once they know the risk of genetic defects their offspring might carry. The family health history is used as a tool to draw conclusions about the successor's genes. Gene testing is also one of the methods where genes from a foetus can be tested for diseases that can hamper the quality of its life ahead. All being said, these methods and techniques are nothing but a dream for any rural, impoverished family in India.

The SCs and STs have always been found to be at the bottom of all social groups when it comes to health indicators. Most of the women from these marginalised communities do not even have access to basic health facilities and supplements required during pregnancy. In those circumstances, it is imperative to construct a mechanism for the socio-economically underprivileged classes to have accessible resources for making informed choices where they are bound by cultural and social traditions of caste-endogamous marriages.

Having said that, it is just a temporary solution because the problem is way bigger than it appears to be. Even if the resources are available to find out the potential defects in an inbred child, there aren't any significant solutions to cure that defect. In the end, it is just a mitigation process and not an elimination one.

The core problem lies in the fact that Indian society still prefers endogamous marriages over inter-caste, inter-class marriages which inhibits the biological aim of mating in evolution. Evolution relied on the idea of reshuffling of DNA across the human species. The early men who unknowingly practiced persistent inbreeding, as a result of a strong founder effect, were extinct after a few centuries. When societies create the social barrier amongst themselves in the name of upholding their culture and 'purity of blood' by dehumanising some sections of people, it not only disturbs the evolutionary process but also injures the ideology of liberty, fraternity, and equality.

he core problem lies in the fact that Indian society still prefers endogamous marriages over inter-caste, inter-class marriages which inhibits the biological aim of mating in evolution.

The benefits that the government provides to these disadvantaged groups in the name of positive discrimination cannot provide relief unless the social endosmosis occurs which requires the intermixture of genes and culture among the different castes and classes.

Dr. Ambedkar in his Annihilation of Caste mentions that according to him a real remedy for breaking the caste system is breaking away from endogamous unions and opting for inter-marriages, which is much more effective than abolishing sub-castes or pursuing inter-dining (the act of dining with members of other castes). Inter-marriage introduces cultural diffusion as it brings together families from distinct social and economical backgrounds thereby establishing a new fraternal relationship. Not only will the practice weaken the permeability of genetic diseases, but it will also liberate caste-ridden India in the long run.

Also read: Indian Matchmaking: Capitalising On The Arranged Marriage Market & Its Anxieties

This dream for a utopian Indian society-free from casteism and prejudices-is a far-fetched one. But this is one of the prerequisites for a quintessentially healthy population. The genomic study is crucial to identify genetic recessive diseases in various subpopulations across India. Once mapped, these results can be used in prenatal testing, genetic counseling, and screening, etc. thereby decreasing the burden on vulnerable communities. There aren't many facilities available for genetic counseling in India as it is an expensive tool with inadequate research in the field.

However, this paves a way for the government, NGOs, and other private health networks to extend their support to the disadvantaged groups. Apart from this, the local governments, with the help of health workers, should play an active role in de-stigmatising inter-caste marriages and sensitising the communities by advising against close-kin and endogamous marriages.
Featured Image Source: Differencebetween.com

Shivani is an MBA graduate from IIM Indore and a writer in the making. She is an intersectional feminist who wishes to write elaborately on the subjects of classism, patriarchy and caste inequality.

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Why Endogamous Marriages Could Make Us An Unhealthy Population | Feminism In India

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Endogamous marriages are the ones that take place within a particular social group such as caste, clan, tribe, gotra, etc. The presence of thousands of castes and communities in India has led to the formation of a very fragmented and dissociated society.

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India is one of the top countries conducting forced marriages

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India is one of the top countries conducting forced marriages

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A unit of Britain's foreign and home offices dealing with cases of forced marriage - when one or both spouses do not consent to marriage and involve at least one UK citizen - has reported that India was among its top four countries of focus during 2017.

The Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) dealt with 82 cases linked to India. Pakistan leads the list with 439 cases, followed by Bangladesh (129) and Somalia (91), according to latest figures.

Cases involving forced marriages often involve immigration issues, in which one potential spouse is a UK citizen and the other is a foreign citizen. The cases also include individuals being taken to a foreign country on the pretext of a holiday and then forced to marry.

"The proportion of cases linked to India in 2017 was similar to 2016. There was a higher proportion of older victims as well as male victims this is most likely due to the fact that many of these cases were reluctant sponsors," a the FMU note said.

It noted that the cases are not broken down by religion: "(No) major faith in the UK advocates forced marriage. It is also important to note that freely given consent is a prerequisite of Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh marriages."

Of the 82 India-linked cases, 53 involved females and 29 involved males.

The largest number of cases - 29 - were reported from London, followed by the West Midlands (14) and the East Midlands (12), which have a large population of Indian origin in cities such as Leicester, Wolverhampton and Birmingham.

Official sources say a forced marriage is one in which one or both spouses do not (or, in the case of some adults with learning or physical disabilities or mental incapacity, cannot) consent to the marriage and violence, threats, or any other form of coercion is involved.

"Coercion may include emotional force, physical force or the threat of physical force, and, financial pressure. In an arranged marriage, both parties have consented to the union but can still refuse to marry if they choose to," the statistical note added.

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.

Set up in January 2005, the FMU operates both inside the UK, where support is provided to any individual, and overseas, where consular assistance is provided to British nationals, including dual nationals.

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UK: India among top 'forced marriage' nations

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A unit of Britain's foreign and home offices dealing with cases of forced marriage - when one or both spouses do not consent to marriage and involve at least one UK citizen - has reported that India was among its top four countries of focus during 2017.

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Posted by Mrudavi
India is a beautiful country with a myriad of tcultures, religions, and communities. We as Indians take pride in our famous expression "Unity in Diversity", where "Diversity" represents this social stratification found among our people.

The biggest division among the population of India is the caste system, which was introduced around 1500 BC. These castes also have sub-castes within them, drawing more differences among themselves. The grand tradition of arranged marriages or what the West calls "The Big Indian Wedding" in the Indian community thus become the markers and enablers of the caste hierarchy.

This practice of marrying someone from one's own community, clan, or tribe while rejecting others as unsuitable is known as endogamy. Endogamy has been prevalent in Indian society for the past 2000-3000 years and is still widely accepted as a legitimate requirement for getting married. It can be found from the smallest tribes to the most elite groups in our society, where being from that particular caste is of highest priority when looking for a partner, while other aspects are taken into consideration secondarily, or sometimes not at all.

These endogamous marriages are a form of arranged marriages, where the bride and the groom, belonging to the same caste, are happy to tie the knot after getting approval from both their families. Since arranged marriages have been a part of our culture for centuries, it is often considered shameful to marry someone that one's parents haven't chosen for them. When someone ends up rejecting the idea of forced marriage or arranged marriage, it quickly gets seen as a personal offence to the parents, creating tension within the family.

Also read: Can An Unequal Marriage Be The Foundation Of A Family?

In cases where parents do not try to understand their children, they are seen getting pressured to get married regardless of their personal choices. This is the point where you can clearly draw the distinction between the concept of arranged marriage and forced marriage. Quite similar to the differences between consent and coercion.

In other cases, where parents do not try to understand their children, they are seen getting pressured to get married regardless of their personal choices. This is the point where you can clearly draw the distinction between the concept of arranged marriage and forced marriage. Quite similar to the differences between consent and coercion.

When a marriage is arranged, it is important to have both the parties' full consent. Consent is always a loud and clear YES, without any external factor's influence and entirely a person's own decision. If either of the bride or the groom, or even both of them are reluctant to go through the marriage, it is a forced marriage. While child marriages are definitely in violation of the children's agency, consent and person, adults too are forced into marriages they do not want to be in. So as to uphold the rigid and regressive caste structures, notions such as love jihad etc. are employed by the conservative, fascist patriarchs in the society.

While child marriages are definitely in violation of the children's agency, consent and person, adults too are forced into marriages they do not want to be in. So as to uphold the rigid and regressive caste structures, notions such as love jihad etc. are employed by the conservative, fascist patriarchs in the society.

As a 24-year-old woman from a conventionally well-to-do family, I have had several financial privileges growing up, yet, the day I completed my graduation, the first thing I heard after "Congratulations" was "Now it is your time to get married."

This did not come as a shock to me. In the OBC caste community that I belong, there are also sub castes. My uncle, the patriarch of my joint family is the head of our sub caste community of my city, and hence endogamy was unsurprisingly and sufficiently emphasised on. My family is traditionally orthodox but I still had some hope for my voice to be heard because most of my family members are well educated.

Since my graduation, the subtle to loud coercion manifested in various ways to get me to agree for marriage.

Simultaneously, my cousin brother who is also 24, was told that it is time for him to get married as well. He had a girlfriend at that time, so he was reluctant to agree to an arranged marriage just as I was. In my case, my opposition was loud and clear, causing me to suffer at the hands of my family's manipulative tactics in a harsh manner, to the point of getting death threats and violence, while my cousin couldn't oppose as clearly as he wanted to, suffering a comparatively less harsher manipulation to get him to agree.

My cousin eventually gave in to their wishes as he had little to nothing to lose as a man. He gets to stay at his own home, he wouldn't have to change his routine or career after marriage, and he still gets to have a right to his father's name, property and status.

In my case, I had everything to lose as a woman. I would've had to change the way I act, dress, and speak. I would've had to agree to what my in-laws would decide about me studying further and having a career or not, about having children, about each and every part of my life.

I was and still am absolutely against giving up my autonomy, which none of my family members can fathom.

Why is it that a person's wishes are not given importance over family status and expectations?

With a sense of entitlement over their children's lives, parents often cross boundaries that end up compromising their mental health and in some cases physical health as well.

In India, forced marriages are illegal under Article 15 of the Indian Contract Act 1872. It is a violation of human rights. People often find it difficult to find their way out of such situations.

In 2017, India was among the top 'focus countries' in the UK when it comes to the issue of forced marriages. Out of all the cases handled by the Forced Marriage Unit UK from around the world in 2019, 80% of victims were women, 13% were men, and the gender of the remaining were unknown.

The figures are just the tip of the iceberg as most cases go unreported.

If you know someone who is facing a situation of forced marriage or you are the one going through these problems, here are some legal steps you can take to avoid it.

Also read: Why Endogamous Marriages Could Make Us An Unhealthy Population

Contact the women cell of the nearest police station: If you are a woman facing the threat of a forced marriage, you can approach the Women Cell of a local police station in your city. You can file a complaint against your parents as well.

Contact the state commission for women: Additionally, you could also reach out to the National Commission For Women (NCW) where you can file complaints if you are being forced to marry.

File a case of domestic violence under PWDVA, 2005: You can also file a complaint for domestic violence against you family members. The authorities could issue a temporary restraining order to ensure the family members from getting you forcefully married.

Contact a lawyer: You can hire a lawyer to file a complaint with the authorities to fight for your rights. Furthermore, the state commissions also arrange for pro bono services and cousel of lawyers for the complainants.

File a suit for annulment of marriage in Family court/District court: If your marriage has already taken place, it can be annulled by filing a suit in a family or district court to declare the marriage as null and void.

Contact NGOs in your city or the ones functioning at a national level: There are many NGOs dedicated to similar causes who can guide you through the legal proceedings and sometimes also provide counselling for your mental well being.
Mrudavi is a part time wordsmith and a full time creator. Her love for nature is inherent as she continues to cultivate and empower it through her multifarous endeavours. She can be found on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook. Featured Image Source: Shreya Tingal/Feminism In India

Guest Writers are writers who occasionally write on FII.

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My Battle Against Family, Caste Hierarchy & Forced Arranged Marriages | Feminism In India

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Posted by Mrudavi India is a beautiful country with a myriad of tcultures, religions, and communities. We as Indians take pride in our famous expression "Unity in Diversity", where "Diversity" represents this social stratification found among our people. The biggest division among the population of India is the caste system, which was introduced around 1500 BC.

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Charity focussing on child and forced marriage

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Highlights

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Girls' secondary and higher level of educational attainment and betterment in household economic condition significantly reduces the risk of girl child marriage.

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Urbanization, religion, women autonomy, and region also have significant influence on the prevalence of girl child marriage.

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Increasing opportunities for girls' education and providing financial incentives to the poor families could be an effective strategy to eliminate the practice of girl child marriage.

Abstract

Girl child marriage remains widespread in India despite implementation of several policies and programmes to eliminate the practice. This study examines the effects of girls' educational attainment and household poverty on the prevalence of female child marriage at the district-level in India. Data are drawn from the 2015-16 National Family Health Survey. Multiple linear regression models were employed to assess the factors of girl child marriage. The results indicate that girls with no schooling and primary level of education are having higher probability of getting married at an early age. However, likelihood of girl child marriage starts declining with secondary level of education. Moreover, higher secondary and higher level of education significantly reduces the prevalence of girl child marriage. Similarly, moving from poorest households to richest households significantly decreases the probability of child marriage. The results suggest that increasing opportunities for girls' education and financial supports to the poor families could be effective strategies towards eliminating the practice of girl child marriage in India.

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Effects of education and poverty on the prevalence of girl child marriage in India: A district-level analysis

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Girls' secondary and higher level of educational attainment and betterment in household economic condition significantly reduces the risk of girl child marriage. * Urbanization, religion, women autonomy, and region also have significant influence on the prevalence of girl child marriage.

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Stunting in consanguineous marriages in India

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Stunting in consanguineous marriages in India

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Highlights

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The present research decodes the ties between consanguineous marriages and childhood stunting in India using the latest round of National Family Health Survey.

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Findings hint a significant association between consanguineous marriages and childhood stunting in India.

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Study highlights poor nutritional outcomes among progeny of consanguineous couples in India.

Abstract

The present research aims to decode the ties between marriages within blood relation (consanguineous marriages) and childhood stunting in India using the latest round of National Family Health Survey, conducted during 2015-16. The present study utilizes data on 192,357 ever-married women age 15-49 years and 14,707 children under age five years from National Family Health Survey, India, 2015-16. To draw inferences from the data, bivariate and multivariable logistic regression has been utilized. A Propensity Score Matching technique has been used to understand the causal linkages between consanguineous marriages and childhood stunting. The prevalence of childhood stunting was higher among male child (40%) compared to the female child (38%) among women who have married their blood relatives. The findings hint's a significant association between consanguineous marriages and childhood stunting. Multivariable regression and propensity score matching results also show that childhood stunting was significantly higher in consanguineous marriages compared to non-consanguineous marriages in the country. Thus, to reduce childhood stunting among children born to women married to their blood relatives, measures like premarital and pre-conception counselling need to be taken for the individuals opting for consanguineous marriages.

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Linkages between consanguineous marriages and childhood stunting: Evidence from a cross-sectional study in India

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The present research decodes the ties between consanguineous marriages and childhood stunting in India using the latest round of National Family Health Survey. * Findings hint a significant association between consanguineous marriages and childhood stunting in India. * Study highlights poor nutritional outcomes among progeny of consanguineous couples in India.

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Abstract

Child trafficking and child marriages have been condemned globally as practices which are harmful to girls' health and which violate their rights. The significance of child trafficking and child marriages for a range of development outcomes explains why both are prohibited by law and given recognition as major policy issues in many countries. Despite international conventions and corresponding regional conventions and national legislations and the efforts of numerous non-governmental, faith-based and international organisations, many girls (especially in developing countries) are still trafficked and/or subjected to forced and early marriages and the measurement of this practice remains relatively unsophisticated. This paper demonstrates that some child marriages have slave-like characteristics similar to those of child trafficking and can thus be argued to be a form of child trafficking. This is because children in forced marriages coerced into these unions and are made to engage in acts similar to victims of sex and labour trafficking.

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Forced child marriages as a form of child trafficking

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Child trafficking and child marriages have been condemned globally as practices which are harmful to girls' health and which violate their rights. The significance of child trafficking and child marriages for a range of development outcomes explains why both are prohibited by law and given recognition as major policy issues in many countries.

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Abstract

Introduction

Marriage is a socially challenging barrier in the personal lives of people with epilepsy worldwide. However, it is during arranges marriages, which are common in South Asian communities, that epilepsy is most profoundly stigmatizing. We hypothesized that the felt stigma associated with epilepsy during arranged marriages affects women more frequently and intensely.

Materials and methods

A pilot study in married ( n = 38) and unmarried PWE ( n = 58) and general public ( n = 150) to explore gender-based differences in the stigma associated with epilepsy during arranged marriages.

Results

Majority unmarried PWE (87%) considered arranged marriage as the best way to realize their matrimonial plans. More unmarried women (72%) apprehended problems in adhering to their epilepsy medications regime after marriage ( p 0.009) and 50% apprehended victimization in marriage on account of epilepsy ( p 0.001). Moreover, 41% of the married women with epilepsy felt that the disclosure had a negative impact on their married life ( p 0.047).

Conclusions

South Asian WWE experienced more felt stigma than men before and after arranged marriages and this might impact a number of health related psychosocial outcomes. The lack of past experience with epilepsy was associated with a number of misplaced beliefs about and attitudes towards epilepsy.

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Arranged marriages in people with epilepsy: A pilot knowledge, attitudes and practices survey from India

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Marriage is a socially challenging barrier in the personal lives of people with epilepsy worldwide. However, it is during arranges marriages, which are common in South Asian communities, that epilepsy is most profoundly stigmatizing. We hypothesized that the felt stigma associated with epilepsy during arranged marriages affects women more frequently and intensely.

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"From an anti-racist perspective, what would you consider when assessing a person to ensure safe professional practice?"

Forced marriages in an Indian/UK context

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https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08974454.2021.1875107

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10439463.2021.1873325

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Forced Marriage, Coercive Control, and Conducive Contexts: The Experiences of Women in Scotland

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The grey area between arranged and forced marriages. - Bing video

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How Do Indian Women Fare In An Arranged Marriage?

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How Do Indian Women Fare In An Arranged Marriage?

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The newest available data paints a rather gloomy picture & offers few solutions.
How Do Indian Women Fare In An Arranged Marriage? | Psychology Today

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Why Are Arranged Marriages Successful in India?

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Why Are Arranged Marriages Successful in India?

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Why Are Arranged Marriages Successful in India

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Arranged marriages - Personal and family issues: Marriage and divorce - CCEA - GCSE Religious Studies Revision - CCEA - BBC Bitesize

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Forced marriage now a crime - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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Recognise a forced marriage

A forced marriage is where one or both people do not (or in cases of people with learning disabilities or reduced capacity, cannot) consent to the marriage as they are pressurised, or abuse is used, to force them to do so. It is recognised in the UK as a form of domestic or child abuse and a serious abuse of human rights.

The pressure put on people to marry against their will may be:

physical: for example, threats, physical violence or sexual violence

emotional and psychological: for example, making someone feel like they are bringing ‘shame’ on their family

Financial abuse, for example taking someone’s wages, may also be a factor.

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To read the full version of this content please select one of the options below:

Abstract

We will also consider issues of cultural competence and expertness and how this interplays with strongly held belief systems such as Izzat. We will end with some clinical implications and pointers for practice.

Citation

Robinson, D. and Singh, R. (2020), "Forced Marriage as a Representation of a Belief System in the UK and its Psychological Impact on Well-being", Majors, R., Carberry, K. and Ransaw, T.S. (Ed.) The International Handbook of Black Community Mental Health, Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 505-525. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83909-964-920201032

Publisher
:
Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright

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Forced Marriage as a Representation of a Belief System in the UK and its Psychological Impact on Well-being

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To read the full version of this content please select one of the options below: We will also consider issues of cultural competence and expertness and how this interplays with strongly held belief systems such as Izzat. We will end with some clinical implications and pointers for practice. Robinson, D.

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What you need to know about forced marriage:

it's illegal in the UK

it's not the same as arranged marriage. In an arranged marriage, people always have a choice about whether they get married or not

if you think your life's in danger call 999, or if you need support you can talk to a counsellor

you have the right to choose who you marry, when you marry or whether you want to get married or not.

there are people who can help.

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Forced marriages can happen in secret and can also be planned by parents, family or religious leaders. It may involve physical abuse, sexual abuse or emotional abuse.

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Arranged marriage: a dilemma for young British Asians | Insight Medical Publishing (imedpub.com)

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Although this has been taken from an Afghan context it may still apply - males

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Although this has been taken from an Afghan context it may still apply - males

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According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), reporting in August 2019, boys in rural areas were ‘… often impelled to marry because of long held local or tribal traditions – customs on the inheritance rights of widows, the settlement of blood feuds, or prearranged agreements between families to exchange their children for marriage’. The source mentioned that child marriages of boys were less frequent than child marriages of girls and tended to be underreported
Country Policy and Information Note – Afghanistan: Unaccompanied children (publishing.service.gov.uk)

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I thought we should put it on here but I got kicked out of blackboard and couldn't find it! Will look again later so left the box to remind me!

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Some interesting reading of real life stories - a good background... 

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Some interesting reading of real life stories - a good background... 

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https://www.childline.org.uk/get-involved/real-life-stories/forced-marriage-dinas-story/

http://www.ashianasheffield.org/case_studies/case-study-1-forced-marriage/

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/forced-marriage-i-just-thought-it-was-normal-family-holiday-10395035.html

Maybe we build our own person to base the presentation around?

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Hello everyone. Happy Padletting. Padlet gave the title "Made with the strength to succeed" I thought it would be nice to keep it :-)

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Hello everyone. Happy Padletting. Padlet gave the title "Made with the strength to succeed" I thought it would be nice to keep it :-)