Expatica : Belgium set to ban forced marriages
Forced marriages are naturally a problem found mostly among the Muslim community of Belgium. I expect that hard-liner Muslims complain again about the government giving more freedom and respect to Muslim women...:blush:
Belgium is once again at the foremost of socially liberal legislations in the world, along with the Netherlands and Scandinavia.
They said on TV that the law would not be retroactive, so women married by forced before the law is enacted will not be able to annul their marriage.
Expatica said:Belgium is to become the world's second country after Norway to ban forced marriages after the Cabinet approved a proposal from Justice Minister Laurette Onkelinx on Friday.
Research conducted by the VUB in 1999 indicates that forced marriages are not uncommon in Belgium. Researchers interviewed Turkish and Moroccan women in Brussels and Flanders and found:
* 27 percent of the surveyed women older then 40 were the victims of a forced marriage;
* 13 percent of surveyed Turkish girls aged 17-24 and 8 percent of Moroccan girls aged 17-24 were the victim of a forced marriage.
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In future, forced marriages will be punishable with a jail term of one month to two years or maximum fines of EUR 500 to EUR 2,500. An attempted forced marriage is prosecutable with a jail term of 15 days to a year or a fine of EUR 250 to EUR 1,250.
Forced marriages are naturally a problem found mostly among the Muslim community of Belgium. I expect that hard-liner Muslims complain again about the government giving more freedom and respect to Muslim women...:blush:
Belgium is once again at the foremost of socially liberal legislations in the world, along with the Netherlands and Scandinavia.
They said on TV that the law would not be retroactive, so women married by forced before the law is enacted will not be able to annul their marriage.
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