Mani Singh Basi sheds light on a particularly sensitive area of family proceedings
- Every case of forced marriage that reaches the court is dealt with on an individual and circumstantial basis, meaning lawyers working in the field have to be prepared for the court’s discretion when considering what’s appropriate.
- Lawyers need to be aware that these cases are highly sensitive and there are important cultural, religious and economic considerations.
In the summer of 2023, Ohio State University published a study about the link between extreme weather and child/forced marriages in certain jurisdictions in the journal International Social Work. The study also showed that in addition to weather conditions, education is a key factor in relation to the child marriage rate.
By way of background, the charity Save the Children provides the following statistics in respect of this international problem:
- ‘About 40 million girls ages 15-19 are currently married or in a union worldwide.
- Each year, some 12 million more girls will marry before reaching age 18—and of those, 4 million are under age 15.
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