WOMEN AND FORCED MARRIAGE IN SCOTLAND

c. Little or no English: very often the women who most desperately need help and
support are unable to communicate due to language barriers; if interpreters are
available they are not necessarily to be trusted to convey what she is saying or to
maintain her confidentiality – they will frequently share the view of the family rather
than supporting her.
d. Immigration Status: Often in a forced marriage with an overseas dimension, the
woman’s immigration status is used as a weapon against her. This is especially
difficult if the woman has a limited visa which needs to be renewed based on specific
requirements, or if she has no recourse to public funds, in which case she would be
unable to support herself and/or her children without her husband.
e. No geographical awareness: This often reflects a very real problem when women
have moved to a specific place in order to get married and their life has been limited to
only essential travel (e.g. from home to the corner shop). Even if a woman knew
which organization she needed help from, if she does not know how to get there, how
to use public transport or she has no money for a taxi then she remains trapped.
f. Fear of racism: Due to being visible minorities, most of our clients are terrified of
being treated by hostility or by ignorance so that their needs are not met – including
having mainstream professionals contact the parents, rather than seeing them as
‘perpetrators’. This could be reinforced by ‘horror stories’ shared within families or
between friends or it could reflect the woman’s past negative experiences.
g. Fear of the consequences: Many women who want to seek help are prevented from
doing so because of the terror of the reactions that they will be provoking in their
families and communities. According to Susan A’Brooke from Dundee International
Women’s Centre, ‘going to the authorities is an awful big step…because you are
effectively severing ties with your family if you stand up to them in this way. Although
this is the case for women who seek help from the police, often, as Mridul Wadhwa
from Shakti Women’s Aid puts it ‘there’s this fear that if they ask for help then they
also have to leave home. But they don’t have to do that. They can still talk about it,
they can do something.’
h. Reluctance to criminalize: Many BME women, even if they are familiar with the
concept of Forced Marriage, might not be at all familiar with the law. Similarly, even
if they are, they may be extremely reluctant to report being forced into a marriage as
they fear criminalizing their parents.
This is an issue that affects women in general when it comes to problems in the
domestic sphere. As Sergeant Catherine Duguid with the Lothian and Borders Police
Diversity Unit frames it, ‘often…women want the help but they don’t necessarily want
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