By Helena Hassani, Modern Slavery Lead, Mercy Foundation.
Modern slavery, particularly forced marriage, remains a significant issue and concern in Australia. Forced marriage happens when someone is getting married without fully and freely consenting to a marriage which could be due to coercion, threat or deception. This is because they are unable to understand the nature and effect of marriage due to age and mental capacity.
Forced marriage has been criminalised in Australia since 2013. However, in recent years, there have been several high-profile cases of forced marriage in Australia that have brought attention to this issue.
Only in 2024, there were two forced marriage convictions in Australia. The first one was Ruqia Haidari’s case who was forced to marry Mohammad Ali Halimi who killed his newly wed wife in Perth, Western Australia.
Roqia’s mother Sakina Jan was the first person who was convicted of forced marriage and was imprisoned for at least 12 months in Victoria.
The second case was a recent case in NSW where two teenage girls were rescued from forced marriage in NSW where they managed to escape their father and sought support from the police. They were supported by a forced marriage organisation and the Australian Federal Police.
The father was convicted and jailed for his crime for at least three years and four months with a non-parole period of one year and 11 months.
There are so many forced marriages unreported due to many reasons especially when the victim survivors are fearful of putting their loved ones in trouble or not knowing that support is available.
These cases demonstrate the need for ongoing effort in prevention of forced marriage in Australia and also to provide support and assistance to those who are experiencing these violations of human rights and abuses.
These cases also show that raising awareness about forced marriage is critical both for prevention and intervention purposes.
If you or someone else you know experience forced marriage, you can contact the AFP on 131 AFP or My Blue Sky on https://mybluesky.org.au/
References:
https://www.afp.gov.au/news-centre/media-release/nsw-man-jailed-over-attempted-forced-marriages-his-children
https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jul/29/ruqia-haidari-murdered-forced-marriage-mother-sakina-muhammad-jan-sentence-ntwnfb
https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jul/29/ruqia-haidari-murdered-forced-marriage-mother-sakina-muhammad-jan-sentence-ntwnfb
