While the majority of reported victims globally are young women and girls, men and boys can also be victims of forced marriage.
Forced marriages can happen to anyone from any background and nationality, and can affect both males and females. It doesn't only happen to young people, it can happen to adults too. It's different to an arranged marriage where there's a choice and both people agree to it.
Anyone can be a victim of forced marriage, regardless of their age, gender or sexual orientation. While men and boys can be victims of forced marriage, most reported victims are young women and girls. For further advice, visit My Blue Sky, call (02) 9514 8115 or text 0481 070 844.
Forced marriage is primarily, but not exclusively, a question of violence against women. The majority of victims are young women and girls between the ages of thirteen and thirty. Where the young person is under eighteen it is also a case of child abuse.
Because girls have less access to education and low social, political and economic status, they are often economically dependent on men. They may see marriage as their only option. Girls are most affected by poverty-driven child marriage because: They lack access to education and welfare and protection safety nets.
Chronological age of child: 50% of abused children are younger than 3 years old; 90% of children who die from abuse are younger than 1 year old; firstborn children are most vulnerable. Low self-esteem: Neglectful parents often neglect themselves and see themselves as worthless people.
A child in a poor household or a household with a poor social network is even more vulnerable. The child loses protection and/or is gradually forced to support him/her self. The child disconnects completely with family and household. Even an ordinary child depends on the support and supervision of caring adults.
Common psychological effects of forced marriage are feelings of depressed mood, irritability, low self-esteem, rage and frustration, sleep problems, difficulty in forming relationships and difficulty trusting others.
Forced and early marriage are most common in impoverished states in Africa, South Asia as well as the former Soviet republics. However, there are still cases of forced and early marriage in more affluent North American and European countries. Forced marriage can be coupled with other forms of slavery.
Risks. One serious consequence of forced marriage is the increased likelihood of domestic violence and abuse and sexual abuse. Anyone forced into marriage faces an increased risk of rape and sexual abuse as they may not wish to consent, or may not be the legal age to consent to a sexual relationship.
However, more than half of the women forced into marriages were below 18 years, of which 24 percent were 15 years or less.
70% of cases were related to offshore marriages for girls between the ages of 15-19 years old. In 2019, the Australian Institute of Criminology estimated there to be between 1300-1900 victims of modern slavery in Australia which includes victims of forced marriage.
Child, early and forced marriage occurs for a number of reasons including gender inequality, poverty, insecurity and tradition. Marrying at such a young age means that these young girls are forced into sexual relations and often get pregnant when they are not ready.
And that is that women initiate divorce more often than men on average. Numerous studies have shown this. In fact, nearly 70 percent of divorces are initiated by women.
Multiple Marriages
Second or third marriages (or more!) have been shown to have a 150% higher chance of divorce than first marriages.
Third Marriages Have the Highest Divorce Rate—73%
Those who wed multiple times face a far higher rate of divorce. In fact, 67% of second marriages end, and 73% of third marriages are dissolved.
Niger has the highest child marriage rate in the world among girls. According to the most recent data, in this West African country, more than three fourths of girls aged under 18 were married, with nearly 30 percent of them being younger than 15 years old.
Worldwide, more than 650 million women alive today were married as children. Every year, at least 12 million girls are married before they reach the age of 18. This is 28 girls every minute. One in every five girls is married, or in union, before reaching age 18.
Plan International estimates that 14 million girls under the age of 18 marry each year. While the majority of reported victims globally are young women and girls, men and boys can also be victims of forced marriage.
Cases of forced marriage may also amount to trafficking. The act may be transfer or receipt of a person, the means may include deception, threats or coercion and the purpose may be sexual exploitation and/or servitude.
There is little research evidence on the extent of mental health problems in the population of people forced into marriage; however, one might expect depression, anxiety-related states (including adjustment disorder) and features of post-traumatic stress disorder to be more prevalent.
Events like an infidelity or sudden threat of divorce in relationships can be very emotionally traumatic and people describe experiencing them in terms like, “my world shattered,” or “I felt like the rug was pulled out from under me.” In these examples the relationship that the person believed was stable and secure is ...
Further research shows that when taking issues of severity into consideration, fathers or father surrogates are responsible for more severe physical abuse and fatalities than female perpetrators (US Department of Health and Human Services [US DHHS], 2005).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Individuals experiencing incarceration. Refugee and migrant populations. Veterans.