Teenage Girl Threatened to be Killed If She does not Marry

 A UK teenager explained that if she refused to force marry a man, she would be taken to Pakistan and would be killed. According to the report, the 16-year-old girl came to a police station in the United Kingdom on her wedding night and informed police that she had been forced to marry a man she had only met once. Hearing this case, Luton County Court was told that the girl stated to police that “she would be shot and everybody back home would be told it was suicide," if she refused to marry the man. The Daily Mail report described that the girl fled her wedding reception, which around 1,000 guests attended, and arrived at a police station “in her pyjamas and in a distressed state.” The report had also revealed that death threats had previously been made against the bride if she refused to marry the man. Two women were accused in the case of forcing the girl to marry, and court orders issued banning any arranged wedding. However, counsels that were representing the accused women, denied the accusations. Further news about the 16 year old girl or the family is unknown and is still yet to be revealed. 


I will admit that from what I've seen and heard, arranged marriages and even force marriages are very normal in Indian culture. The most common is a father or mother would want their child to marry the child of a close family friend of the father or mother. But to hear that a daughter would be killed if she refuses to marry the man she does not want to marry, is ridiculous. Personally, I've heard a few people refuse to marry the person they do not want to marry, but I have never heard that that person would be killed if they refused! This news really upsets me because it's basically like the family of the daughter has no care for her feelings whatsoever. Are they doing this for her but she just does not see it? Or are they doing this for their own selfishness? I would not be surprised if the family of the man was a rich family, and that the daughter's family just wants the daughter to marry into that family just so they too could become rich. I am proud of my culture, but these actions of parents and families really upset me, and sadly, these actions are very common in Indian culture.

Are arranged Indian marriages for the sake of the child? Or the parents?










Article Source:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/556024/uk-teen-threatened-to-be-killed-in-pakistan-if-she-refused-to-marry/
"UK teen threatened to be killed in Pakistan if she refused to marry" by Web Desk, May 29, 2013, The Express Tribune: with the International Herald Tribune

Photo Source:
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