KUALA LUMPUR – Authorities in Australia have raised alarm bells over a potential spike in forced marriages, particularly involving children, as overseas travel picks up among its residents.
According to the ABC, police and government agencies are researching ways to curb the complex issue which was most prevalent in the states of New South Wales and Victoria, based on police statistics.
The Australian federal police noted that there have been more than 80 reports of forced marriages in the country, almost half of which involved minors aged below 18.
Commander Hilda Sirec, who leads a team investigating child trafficking, said the unit had struggled to bring offenders to justice.
She said this was because many victims feared speaking out against their families, who tend to be the main perpetrators.
Sirec expressed concern that there would be a surge in cases, with the easing of Covid-19 border restrictions around the globe.
“We’re seeing more significant reports coming from places like NSW and Victoria,” Sirec was quoted as saying, adding that most reports of forced marriages came from “closer knit” communities.
NSW accounted for 34% of forced marriage cases, followed by Victoria at 31%. Western Australia came in third at 9%, while South Australia reported 8% of the cases.
Yet, despite forced marriage being made a criminal offence in 2013, enforcers have yet to convict anyone for the crime.
The latest spark in fears over the issue comes in wake of the widely reported murder of 21-year-old Ruqia Haidari, who was allegedly sold by her mother to a man for AU$15,000 (RM45,721) in 2019, before being killed months later.
Her husband, Mohammad Ali Halimi, had been sentenced to 19 years in prison for killing the Victorian woman with a kitchen knife in their Perth home after she married him.
Case worker Eleni Argy – from the youth organisation Taldumande, a body providing refuge for teenage victims of forced marriage – told the ABC that young victims are being “sold” for cash.
“There is financial gain. Money is exchanged, property perhaps, and girls are literally being sold off,” Argy said.
“They can be groomed from a very young age, as young as six or seven.”
However, University of Technology Anti-Slavery Australia director Jennifer Burn noted the distinction between arranged and forced marriages, which were not the same thing.
“An arranged marriage, in Australia, is where both parties consent to the marriage,” Burn said.
“A forced marriage is where one or both parties don’t have the chance to form full and free consent to the marriage because they’ve been coerced or threatened.”
Regardless, Burn noted the importance of tackling the issue before it turns into a crisis.
“Many of those who force marriages onto others may genuinely want what’s best for their children and come to later regret their actions when they see the consequences on their child’s happiness,” Burn said. – The Vibes, September 4, 2022
.jpg)
_leader__Sanae_Takaichi.jpg)
