Thursday, May 21, 2009

Forced marriages in the Netherlands

Finally a city in the Netherlands is trying out a new system which should help prevent teenage girls from being pressured into marriage when they go away on holiday to their family's country of origin. The city of Rotterdam announced that this week.

In fact it's a farce since you can not do must afterwards since these teens have often a double nationality. The system 'to be introduced' makes girls sign a contract stating that they do not want to marry when on holiday. Mostof these children are of Turkish, Morroc and Pakistani origin.

The Dutch police will be notified immediately if the girls fail to return at the end of the summer. In the past, it has always been the school truancy officers who were notified about such incidents; however they were unable to do much about them.

But this contract system, to prevent forced arranged marriages in the United Kingdom, has been successful.

Next to that the city of Rotterdam also plans to educate students about arranged marriages and violence committed in the defence of family honour. Students are given extra lessons so that they know what to do if they are confronted by an arranged marriage.

In the past, most cases of arranged marriage occur within the Moroccan, Turkish and Pakistani communities which makes up to 1 million people on a total population of 16 million. Often girls went send during the summer holidays to the countries of their parents (or even grand parents origin) and never returned back before getting married. After they married in one of these countries they often come back with their brand new husband whom automatically was granted Dutch citizen ship.

In my opinion it's better to make it illegal by law and the parents should be punished.
Picture is made of a group of teenage children ready to take the oath of marriage.

Day Opening - May 21

...does she care...