Forced Marriages at Record High in South Wales

[jordan179]

According to BBC News Wales:

South Wales Police say they are dealing with the largest number of cases of forced marriage and honour based-violence they have ever seen.

In the past 12 months, the force has dealt with 49 cases of forced marriage, up from a typical 30-35, with new cases almost every week.Now, stop and consider this for a moment. "

Comments

[pathia]

I can't imagine this happens in all cases, but I'd not be surprised if more than a few if not the majority played out like the following...

What if the victim refuses to press charges?

[jordan179]

Well yes -- unfortunately, it can be hard to accept that one's own family are monsters, and have grievously harmed you, and that one needs to either see them punished if possible, or have nothing to do with them, if not possible.

And yes, I'm talking to you, too.

[pathia]

Yes, but I'm not brainwashed into thinking they're good people, or it's the right thing to do. The situation there is even worse, because they may well think they deserve what happens to them.

I don't, I'm just a stubborn bitch.

[jordan179]

The sickness of the Muslim immigrant culture's treatment of women needs to be combatted, and at the ideological level. But to do this, Britain is going to have to acknowledge to herself that all cultures are not equal, and that's something which appears to be so psychologically difficult for the British chattering classes that they are willing to let any number of young Muslim women be held prisoner and serially raped rather than admit that the British Establishment was wrong.

[pathia]

Rape and such are not civil cases. The victim doesn't have to press charges for the charges to stick. Granted, it makes it hard to get witnesses and evidence, but it's not impossible if the government wanted to press charges

[jordan179]

Well, the Victorians had other blind spots regarding rape. In particular, they tolerated systems of prostitution which amounted to imprisonment and serial rape because the girl, once she had been raped the first time, was no longer "pure" and hence was lesser than the women whom the rape laws were supposed to protect.

This is sort of related to the situation regarding Muslim girls. The British Establishment essentially considers Muslim girls inferior to British ones and hence not worthy of the same protection under the law. They pretty-up this sentiment with mouthings about "multiculturalism," but that's to what it amounts.

[juliet_winters]

True on the "fallen woman" status, but towards the later Victorian period there were a number of do-gooding organizations (often headed by well-off women)which tried to rehabilitate the "soiled doves" for domestic work.
Difficult to overcome societal prejudices, but some of them did try, including William Gladstone who damaged his own reputation thereby.

[marycatelli]

One thing they should do is give immigrants a questionnaire like we have in the United States. A whole slew of questions one of which is "do you support forced marriages" (probably prettied up) and then a place at the bottom where they sign that all they say is true under penalty of perjury.

Of course that requires a willingness to throw people into jail because they are perjurers and out of the country because they are convicted felons.

[hannahsarah]

Everything hinges on your last sentence.

[marycatelli]

how true!

[marycatelli]

Hmm. Send them in with wires before you rescue them and then prosecute without their help.

Criminal cases are not offenses against individuals. Criminal cases are offenses against the majesty of the law, which is entitled to punish them without the victims' consent.

[ford_prefect42]

Laser microphone. Point it at a nearby window, no need to carry a bug or wear a wire.