Letter: Forced marriages
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: Ann Cryer and the Government call for Asian community leaders to condemn forced marriages ("Shame", 27 May).
We know from experience, however, that these leaders often pay lip service, rather than act to create genuine change. It is often the same community leaders who attack and undermine Asian women's organisations, often the only agencies providing frontline services to women in need.
The state has a responsibility to protect women. The police, social services and other agencies such as schools are woefully inadequate in providing effective protection, usually in the name of respecting minority cultural practices. Multi-cultural policies deny women from minority communities the right to services available to other women in society.
Forced marriage is a form of domestic violence and child abuse, often involving emotional blackmail and mental cruelty, physical violence, rape and sexual abuse, false imprisonment, abduction and even murder. Yet we find the police do not treat them as serious crimes and social services fail to intervene - often adopting a mediatory and conciliatory approach, appeasing men for the sake of "good community relations".
The Government can act to support our work, both financially and politically, giving a clear signal to the community, service-providers and policy-makers that it will not tolerate any violation of women's human rights, and will work with us to ensure the protection of all women.
HANNANA SIDDIQUI
Southall Black Sisters,
Middlesex
SHAMSHAD HUSSAIN
Asian Women's Monitoring Group, Bradford
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments