A ‘forced marriage’ occurs when a person is pressured into a marriage they do not consent to, or cannot consent to due to age or disability. A ‘forced marriage’ not the same as an 'arranged marriage', where families take a leading role in choosing the marriage partner, however the marriage itself is freely entered into by both parties. The Domestic Violence Bill, published in February 2017, will criminalise the act of forcing someone to enter into a ceremony of marriage, or removing a person from the State for such purposes.
Indicators of a forced marriage could include:
- Absence and persistent absence at school
- Fear about forthcoming school holidays
- Surveillance by siblings or cousins at school
- Decline in behaviour, engagement, performance or punctuality
- Poor exam results
- Being withdrawn from school by those with parental responsibility
- Not allowed to attend extra-curricular activities
- Sudden announcement of engagement to a stranger
- Prevented from going on to further/higher education
- Request for extended leave of absence and failure to return from visits to country of origin
- Victim or other siblings within the family reported missing
- Reports of domestic abuse, harassment or breaches of the peace at the family home
- Female genital mutilation
- The victim reported for offences e.g. shoplifting or substance misuse
- Threats to kill and attempts to kill or harm
- Reports of other offences such as rape or kidnap
