How to curb forced marriages
Topic: Violence Against Women
Source: Times Online
The U.K.'s Forced Marriage Unit, administered through the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), handled more than 1,300 cases during the first three quarters of 2008 alone, an increase of 79% over last year. With some victims as young as 13, most cases involved women, though experts estimate 15% of cases worldwide may involve men marrying as a result of family pressure. "We're definitely getting more calls than normal," says FCO spokesman Nick Branch. Branch says most of the unit's cases this year involved families from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Not everyone, however, agrees on what the right course of action is to curb a problem that grows more complicated as families become increasingly international. (12/26/08)