Forced marriage

A forced marriage has occurred when a marriage has been entered into without the free and full consent of one or both parties as a result of force or threats, or due to being tricked.

• Is the person who is married or about to be married under the age of 18?

• Have other members of the person’s family been married under the age of 18?

• Has there been a sudden announcement that the person is engaged?

• Has the person said that they don’t want to get married, but are being made to by their family?

• Has the person been spending a lot of time away from school, university or work?

• Does the person seem nervous or scared about an upcoming overseas family holiday?

• Does the person have an intellectual disability that may prevent them from being able to agree or not agree to the marriage?

For information and assistance regarding forced marriage, visit www.mybluesky.org.au.

Case Study

Ms Madley was 16 years old when her parents arranged for her to marry a man from Lebanon that she had met only once before. The wedding was scheduled to take place in Lebanon within two weeks of her urgent application to the Court. She gave evidence that she was fearful for her safety and her mother’s reactions and that she did not want to marry the young man she was engaged to.

The Court ordered that her parents be restrained from removing, attempting or causing removal of, Ms Madley from Australia. Ms Madley’s passport was also to be surrendered to court and she was placed on the airport Watch List. To read more about this story, click here.