Forced Marriage In Pakistan Literature Review
Introduction:
This section will describe forced marriage and the extent of it within Pakistan as well as within Pakistani communities abroad. Forced marriage is conducted without the approval of both the man and the woman, or one of the two. It is a common practice in the Middle East and in some parts of Asia and Africa (Smith, 2006). Literature states that forced marriage occurs when one or both individuals involved in marriage are not willing to do so or agree only under pressure (Uddin and Ahmed, 2000).
Being able to choose when to marry and who to marry is a basic human right. In modern-day Pakistan, young people are pressured or forced to marry. These traditional marriages are arranged by the families and no authority is given to the …show more content…
Roles of organizations in Pakistan working towards this problem will also be put forward.
One of the main causes of forced marriage is cultural tradition. On some occasions, parents come under pressure from family members, often senior relatives to marry their daughters to someone in the family (Samad and Eade, 2002). In some cases, pressure from extended family takes place when the daughter is born and the decision of who the child will marry takes place in infancy (Anonymous, 2013). Marrying daughters in the family also mean that land, property and wealth will not be in the hands of outsiders (Anis et al., 2013). The Express Tribune reported an incident in Punjab where a twenty-one year old girl was forced to marry her ten year old, underage cousin for the hereditary property to remain within the family (The Express Tribune, …show more content…
Victims of forced marriages are often limited in their life chances. Since forced marriages usually take place at a young age, victims are limited in career options and seldom have the opportunity to continue their education. It should also be noted that these women may not have access to education in the first place before they are married if they come from poorer families. But their situation is made worse after they are forcibly married because they are expected to take the responsibilities of the house, in laws, husband and children (Naveed and Butt, 2015). Additionally, girls forced into marriage are likely to experience abuse and marital rape. Young and teenage women forced into marriage are often not ready for child birth leading to unwanted pregnancies. They are also at a higher risk of sexually transmitted diseases (Sabbe et al.,
This section will describe forced marriage and the extent of it within Pakistan as well as within Pakistani communities abroad. Forced marriage is conducted without the approval of both the man and the woman, or one of the two. It is a common practice in the Middle East and in some parts of Asia and Africa (Smith, 2006). Literature states that forced marriage occurs when one or both individuals involved in marriage are not willing to do so or agree only under pressure (Uddin and Ahmed, 2000).
Being able to choose when to marry and who to marry is a basic human right. In modern-day Pakistan, young people are pressured or forced to marry. These traditional marriages are arranged by the families and no authority is given to the …show more content…
Roles of organizations in Pakistan working towards this problem will also be put forward.
One of the main causes of forced marriage is cultural tradition. On some occasions, parents come under pressure from family members, often senior relatives to marry their daughters to someone in the family (Samad and Eade, 2002). In some cases, pressure from extended family takes place when the daughter is born and the decision of who the child will marry takes place in infancy (Anonymous, 2013). Marrying daughters in the family also mean that land, property and wealth will not be in the hands of outsiders (Anis et al., 2013). The Express Tribune reported an incident in Punjab where a twenty-one year old girl was forced to marry her ten year old, underage cousin for the hereditary property to remain within the family (The Express Tribune, …show more content…
Victims of forced marriages are often limited in their life chances. Since forced marriages usually take place at a young age, victims are limited in career options and seldom have the opportunity to continue their education. It should also be noted that these women may not have access to education in the first place before they are married if they come from poorer families. But their situation is made worse after they are forcibly married because they are expected to take the responsibilities of the house, in laws, husband and children (Naveed and Butt, 2015). Additionally, girls forced into marriage are likely to experience abuse and marital rape. Young and teenage women forced into marriage are often not ready for child birth leading to unwanted pregnancies. They are also at a higher risk of sexually transmitted diseases (Sabbe et al.,