Injustice against women is still prevailing to this date and one of its forms is forced marriages.

Forced
marriages in any way are not acceptable and is considered as a violation of human rights. Today, I will
uncover the problem of forced marriages and discuss its different types along with its causes and its
detrimental effects on the victims.

TYPES OF FORCED MARRIAGES

Forced Marriages by Parents and communities:-
The most common type of forced marriage is considered that done by parents. It involves parents going
against their children’s will and forcing them into wed-lock. Since it is supported by the community
therefore it is often difficult to evade it.

Forced Marriages by Religious Leaders:-

This involves a marriage forced by religious leaders that is favoured by the religious community.

Forced Marriages in conflict zones:-

This is when in the state of war or conflict, women are traded or forced into marriages. Places like
Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are still experiencing this. History is a proof of all the
injustice being done to women in the form of prostitution, rape and forced marriages.

Trafficking for the purpose of forced marriages:-

The rate of trafficking of women has been increased rapidly and this is often done in order to force them
into marriages. This is more practiced in countries where male to female ratio has been changed due to
female selective abortion or female infanticide.

Adoption for the purpose of forced marriages:-

Girls are often adopted from other countries for the purpose of forced marriages and they act as a
second or third wife in polygamous marriages.

Forced Marriages by Partners:-

This happens when a person is forced into marriage by its partner using violence as a tool.
Forced Marriages through Hereditary slavery:-
This is when girls who are slaves are chosen by their owners for the purpose of forced marriages.

CAUSES OF FORCED MARRIAGES

Forced marriages can be regarded as snatching away one’s freedom from them and making a victim’s
life totally miserable. Forced marriages exist in today’s society due to different factors like social,
cultural, economic or political.

Social act:-
While making the decision of marriage, parents might not ask their children about their opinions and
whether they want to get married or not. A person may be forced into marriage because it’s considered
as a social act by the parents and for the extended family purpose.

Protection of young women:-

Girls are often forced into marriage because they are looked upon as minors who must be protected and
given shelter to and marriage is often considered as the best solution to it because their in-laws are
trusted to take care of them and the parents seek their daughter’s refuge in marriage. Hence, for the
sake of protecting their daughters, parents force them into marriage.

Saving family’s honour:-

Few families that hold to traditional values and conservative mindsets, they usually adhere to arranged
or forced marriages. Dreadful of seeing their children marry outsiders particularly those from different
cultures or sects that are considered to have diverse societies, parents often persuade their children to
marry within their families or respective community in order to save the honour of the family.

Controlling women’s sexuality:-

Forced marriages are also seen as a method to control a women’s sexuality. Parents often think that in
order to save their daughter’s reputation that can be damaged if they get involved in any love affair or
relationships outside marriage, they must be married off so that any undesirable effects like illegitimate
relationships can be avoided.

Socio-economic factors:-
Different social and economic factors may also contribute to forced marriages. It might enable two
families or tribes to settle their disputes or to further fortify their terms by marrying off their children
within the families or communities and this is also a way to secure family property.

EFFECTS OF FORCED MARRIAGES

Forced marriages have never turned out to be successful. They act as a turning point in one’s life and
have many detrimental effects on the victims.

Hatred towards the partner:-

Since the two partners are coerced into a marriage therefore they tend to have resentment towards each
other because it’s neither of their decision and therefore their spiteful behaviour reflects their refusal to accept
the other partner.

Isolation:-
Victims of forced marriages often experience isolation and powerlessness. This is because they feel they
have no one to fill in about what they are going through or share their pain with as they feel that no one
would understand them specially their family who themselves has brought them to this stage.

Violence and abuse:-

The partners sometimes face violence and abuse from not only their spouses but from the extended
family as well and are treated miserably having little or no care about their human rights and this is
because it’s due to the family pressure that they are bearing this marriage rather than their own
happiness. Women also in these marriages get tortured in the form of rape or forced pregnancies.

Limited future:-
People who are involved in forced marriages have little opportunities for future as their education and
self-development opportunities are snatched away and this leads to less chances of them to prosper in
life and to be able to make a career.

Future generation:-
Children from forced marriages are often affected by this as they either discover that violence is
admissible or they get disturbed by seeing it happening around them constantly.

SOLUTIONS
In order to create a more peaceful society, forced marriages must be put to an end. How we’ll do this?
Let’s observe it here:

Spread awareness:-
Pen is mightier than the sword. Writing about this issue and raising your voice against it with the help of
social media will not only make the people aware about this issue but will also help them realize the
intensity of it and their ability to further spread the message and take actions against it.

Refuse to be a part of it:-

The only way to bring about a change in society is by taking a small step yourself. If you reside in an area
where forced marriages are common and if you witness someone being pressurized into it and being a
victim of it then take an action against it and try to help them out by making their family know about its
possible consequences and the torture that their children may have to bear as a result of it.

CONCLUSION
Forced marriages are declared wrong not only ethically but also morally and they can never be justified
on either the culture or religious grounds. All major religions like Islam, Christianity and Judaism, strictly
prohibits forced marriages. These marriages have some serious effects on the victims and their
increasing rate is doing nothing but harming the society. Measures against these marriages must be
taken in order to make this world a better place to live in.