HIDDEN AND MULTIPLE VICTIMIZATION: FORCED MARRIAGE IN TURKEY

Abstract

Aim: Forced marriages are the marriages in which one or both spouses do not give consent to the marriage. Violence, threats, or any other form of coercion is involved to actualize the marriages and cause multiple victimization. Victims of forced marriages may be women, men, girls and boys. The subject of the victimization may be all types of violence. This study aims to evaluate and to raise the awareness of the professionals who work in the field, and to suggest solutions to prevent the forced marriages.

Materials and Methods: In the study, a total of 296 people (66% women and 34% men), who work in the fields in Mersin, Diyarbakır, Şanlıurfa and Istanbul provinces where the risk factor is high, were surveyed; and workshops were organised with them. The survey results were analysed by using the SPSS 20 statistical program.

Results: The survey was applied to the professionals working in the field. Only 46% of participants correctly answered the question about the age of marriage with parental consent. 10% of the participants stated that they look positively to the marriage of those under the age of 18. 9 out of 100 people working in the field do not see child marriage as a type of forced marriage. 32% of the employees in the field specified that they do not know where to apply in case of the danger of forced marriage.

Conclusion: The main factors lead to forced marriage may be specified as lack of education, customs and traditions, family honour, economic reasons, migration, social and family pressure on parents, and domestic violence. Forced marriages have significant negative impacts especially for young women. Trainings of the professionals will be the first step of solving the problem. The next step will be defining forced marriage as a criminal offence in Turkey.