What is Forced Marriage?
Arranged or Forced?
Victims and survivors of forced marriage are largely a hidden population in the United States because service providers lack a working definition of forced marriage. Therefore, victims and survivors do not disclose having faced a forced marriage or
threats of forced marriage.
Forced marriage is often seen as a cultural practice, not as a form of gender-based violence and often occurs alongside other forms of violence including female genital mutilation (FGM), sexual assault, domestic violence, and trafficking.
Forced marriage is often confused with arranged marriage, which involves family and community members finding potential
partners for consenting couples.
Forced marriage is the lack of full, free, and informed consent of one or both spouses. Reasons for lack of consent include lack of capacity to give valid consent due to age or disability or presence of pressure, coercion, deception/fraud, or violence.
Key Terms & Definitions
LOVE MARRIAGE
a marriage decided by the couple
with or without consulting their
family members
Sri & Raja, 2013
CHILD MARRIAGE
any marriage where at least one of the parties is under 18 years of age
UNICEF, 2021
ARRANGED MARRIAGE
involves family and community members finding potential
partners for consenting couples
Tahirih Justice Center, 2011
FORCED MARRIAGE
lack of full, free, and informed
consent of one or both spouses
Tahirih Justice Center, 2011
Even if an individual says "yes" to a marriage, that "yes" is only as meaningful as their ability to say "no."
Key Terms & Definitions
LOVE MARRIAGE
a marriage decided by the couple
with or without consulting their
family members
Sri & Raja, 2013
ARRANGED MARRIAGE
involves family and community members finding potential
partners for consenting couples
Tahirih Justice Center, 2011
CHILD MARRIAGE
any marriage where at least one of the parties is under 18 years of age
UNICEF, 2021
FORCED MARRIAGE
lack of full, free, and informed
consent of one or both spouses
Tahirih Justice Center, 2011
Even if an individual says "yes" to a marriage, that "yes" is only as meaningful as their ability to say "no."
Learn how an Arranged Marriage could become a Forced Marriage
Vidya Sri & Darakshan Raja, 2013
The difference between arranged and forced marriage is a challenge for service providers as well as survivors, it is often confused as a cultural practice and seen as arranged marriage.
The marriage continuum shows how an arranged marriage could become a forced marriage. It's a a powerful psychoeducational tool that can be used with both service providers and survivors to help identify the warning signs, assess risks, and coordinate services for safety outcomes.
Watch the video to learn more about the significance of the continuum and how to use it in practice with survivors.