More from the ALL cultures are EQUAL files

Forced to wed at 14
By John Masanauskas
February 28, 2005
From:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12392634-421,00.html
AUSTRALIAN girls as young as 14 are being sent to Lebanon and forced into marriage.
Girls have sought help from the Australian embassy in Beirut amid claims they were raped and kidnapped.
Consular officials work hard to help the victims but often face strong legal and cultural barriers while trying to get them home.
Under Lebanese law, Lebanese men can stop their Australian wives and children from leaving the country.
Australia's ambassador to Lebanon, Stephanie Shwabsky, has raised the forced marriage issue with Lebanese community and religious leaders in Australia.
In a letter to the Arabic media here, Ms Shwabsky said marriages involving people under 18 were illegal under Australian law.
"Importantly, the marriage would not be recognised in Australia at any time after the marriage, for example when the person concerned reaches the age of 18," she said.
Speaking from Beirut, Ms Shwabsky told the Herald Sun that the embassy had handled about 12 forced marriage cases over the past year.
The youngest was 14, but some others, including a male, were aged in their early 20s.
"Often these cases are quite serious because they are young, distressed and want urgent help," Ms Shwabsky said.
She said it was a brave step for the victims to come forward because they were rejecting marriages arranged by their families.

One under-age female made her feelings clear in the embassy by throwing her wedding jewellery to the floor in front of her husband's relatives.
"She said, 'Take it'," Ms Shwabsky said.

Ms Shwabsky said the embassy could help by contacting local police about abuses, giving legal assistance and issuing new passports if old ones were being held by victims' spouses.

Ms Shwabsky stressed that the number of forced marriage cases was very small and that the practice was generally opposed by Lebanese authorities and religious leaders.

Australian Arabic Council chairman Roland Jabbour said most forced marriage cases involved Muslims, with the husbands usually from rural villages.
"Some of these families are bound by customs and traditions but the practice doesn't accurately reflect the whole Lebanese community," Mr Jabbour said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs travel advisory for Lebanon includes warnings that child custody decisions and divorce are based on religious law.
Net link: www.dfat.gov.au