Growing outrage over forced marriages

The immigration minister has condemned forced marriages after a girl was intercepted at Sydney airport.
THE Australian Federal Police are looking into a weekend case involving a young girl being stopped from boarding a plane with her uncle because she was allegedly to be married off at age 14 in Lebanon.
The AFP confirmed it had provided “counselling and assistance” to the young woman, who was stopped at Sydney Airport, but state and federal authorities are not saying whether or not she will be returned to live with her family.
The case — revealed by The Sunday Telegraph — has again raised the issue of forced marriages involving Australian girls, with the NSW minister for women Pru Goward calling on people to report such cases.
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The teenage girl was believed to be heading to Lebanon for an arranged marriage. Source: Getty Images
Dr Eman Sharobeem from the Immigrant Women’s Health Service said that since November she had received referrals of six cases involving girls who were set to be victims of under-age forced marriage.
“This number is only the tip of the iceberg,” she said.
“A couple of those clients informed me their sisters were married at the age of 15.
“Those girls were alerted because of the education campaign I have been working on to alert frontline staff.”
A 14-year-old girl was stopped in Sydney from flying to Lebanon for an arranged marriage. Source: The Sunday Telegraph
Ms Goward and communities minister Victor Dominello are expected to soon launch an awareness campaign in a bid to stamp out the practice.
“We can only investigate a case if it is reported so I encourage anyone who is aware of girls under the age of consent being married off to older men to report it to authorities so it can be investigated,” Ms Goward said.
The issue reared its ugly head last year in the case of a 12-year-old girl allegedly married to a 26-year-old student by an imam.
“The AFP can confirm it spoke to an adult male and a female minor at Sydney International Airport prior to them boarding their flight on Friday 26 September, 2014,” an Australian Federal Police spokeswoman said. AFP is making further inquires.
Originally published as Growing outrage over forced marriages
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