Forced marriage is a crime against humanity because everyone has their own rights and their own independence related to its life.
The types of forced marriages are not to be confused with an arranged marriage which occurs mainly in peacetime. In our society, many people think that arrange marriage in some context a forced marriage is, but this is not true. An arranged marriage is a marriage that is planned and agreed upon by the families or guardians of the couple concerned. A forced marriage totally differs from an arranged marriage, in which both parties presumably consent to the assistance of their parents or a third party such as a matchmaker in finding and choosing a spouse.
Forced marriage is not only an issue of the past; it is prevalent in conflicts around all over the world today.
Pakistan is going backward due to force marriage. Force marriage is mostly done in the rural areas of Pakistan due to poverty and illiteracy. Many parents engaged their children in their childhood, and when they become elder their parents told them that they are engaged by someone and now they will be married by them and when they refuse to get marry with them their parent’s strong manual with them and force marry them. Mostly Parents marriage their girls at an early age to get free from their finance and low the burden of poverty. They think that this is a better way to get free from poverty. But due to unawareness, this is not good for the girl who is going to be married at an early age of her life.
Forced marriage is a viable crime, i.e. capable of living a separate existence. Only parents are not responsible for this act, it is done by the relatives and neighbors also. Parents’ marriage their child for the fear of honor that if their children do some act which may ashamed them, parents’ marriage their children.
Force marriage is a shameful act that people do. This act shouldn’t be allowed to do not only in Pakistan but all over the world. First of all, our religion Islam forbade us the forced marriage of a child. We can take an example of Hazrat Fatima and Hazrat Ali that, When Hazrat Ali came to Holy Prophet about the relation of Hazrat Fatima, Holy Prophet firstly went to the Hazrat Fatima and asked about this relation. When Hazrat Fatima accepts this proposal then Holy Prophet accepts this relation, and after this, then Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Fatima get Nikkahfied. This highlights the point that marriage should be done by mutual agreements, not to force a child to marry someone.
This is also written in the Article 16 of Universal declaration of human rights that;
“Marriage should be entered into only with the free will and full consent of the intending spouses”
Forced marriage is a social issue, and this act never successful in society. The society members that are victims of this act by themselves try to convince other people to don’t do this shameful act to others. Force marriage can affect mental health/stability, shatter the confidence of an individual, and may lead to the social isolation of the individual, it may also lead even to suicide. Force marriage has a negative impact on society like people start fearing of marriage as a negative act, trust issues in society and cause disability in society.
Forced marriage is a crime not only in specific countries, it is a crime all over the world. Forced marriage is a shameful act that people shouldn’t do because everyone has their own rights related to their lives. Parents and relatives shouldn’t force a girl or a boy for marriage because they have to spend life so it should their own opinion that from which one, they want to marry or not. Governments should make strict rules and appropriate laws against this act. Moreover, we should work on moral values, learn from the incidents, and try to educate people about our surroundings as well.
(Writer is student of Defense and Diplomatic Studies, Fatima Jinnah women University, Rawalpindi.)