>Understanding forced marriage: definitions and realities

Prevalence, dynamics and characteristics of forced marriage in Spain

“…This profile does not match the political and media discourse that associates the process exclusively with certain migrant cultural minorities. The evidence of victims with Spanish nationality and who are legal residents in Spain aligns the present findings more closely with those of studies that relativize the influence of ethnic or religious factors Kazimirski, 2009) and that, on the contrary, highlight the link between forced marriage and patriarchal family structures (Anitha & Gill, 2011b;Gangoli et al, 2011) or situations of poverty. Nevertheless, the variables with the greatest weight in explaining victimization in this study were the victim's nationality, religion and community or ethnicity.…”

“…They also highlight the challenge of distinguishing between forced marriage and the practice of arranged marriages, found in certain cultural traditions and characterized by the intense involvement of the family and community in proposing candidates for marriage and conditioning the decision (Anitha & Gill, 2009, 2011aGangoli et al, 2011;Sowey, 2018). Finally, they suggest that forced marriage is a global phenomenon that is most common in certain regions of Africa and Asia, but of which evidence can also be found in the West (Hester et al, 2007;Rude-Antoine, 2007;Kazimirski, 2009;Thomas, 2009;Hamel, 2011;Mirbach et al, 2011;Tahrir Justice Center, 2011;FRA, 2014;Sabbe et al, 2014;UNICEF, 2014;FMU, 2016).…”

Understanding Forced Marriage in the United States: Developing Measures, Examining its Nature, and Assessing Gender Disparities

“…Anitha and Gill (2009) explain that these forms of coercion and control in forced marriage situations should be understood as existing on two ends of a continuum; they argue that the varying degrees of control, pressure, persuasion, sociocultural expectation, threat, and force should all be considered. Gangoli et al (2011) build on this work to suggest that coercion and control are products of structural inequalities along the lines of gender, race, and class, rather than linked to a singular culture. Cases have been documented in which victims are taken outside the United States under the auspices of visiting family, and then are compelled to marry against their will while abroad, where they have limited capacity to escape the situation (Bingham, 2008;Secret, 2013).…”

Domestic violence and sexuality

“…These structures are argued to create conditions of structured dependency for women in heterosexual intimate relationships, particularly when they become mothers, which not only reinforce unequal power relationships between women and men but also make it financially, materially, culturally and emotionally difficult to leave. More recent contributions to understanding DVA in the feminist literature have included an analysis of so-called 'honour'-based violence and forced marriage that have also implicated the role of family members in enacting and/or colluding in DVA (for example, Gangoli et al, 2011;Chantler and Gangoli, 2012), although the role of families and communities in colluding with abusive men had been recognised prior to these more recent discussions (for example, Hanmer, 2000).…”