A forced marriage is a form of violence and abuse of human rights. It is a practice in which a marriage takes place without the free consent of the individuals getting married, and can happen to anyone regardless of gender, religion or age.
The criminalization of forced marriages is a controversial issue at the forefront of conversation in Canada and across the world. In Canadian criminal law, there are sufficient existing provision that can be applied in various situations of forced marriage cases, such as laws around duress, harm, assault, kidnapping and other types of violence. In SALCO’s experience, existing laws can be and have been used to assist survivors of forced marriage.
Please read SALCO’s 2013 report: “Who if when to marry: a report on incidents of forced marriages in Ontario” to learn more about forced marriages in Canada and the affects of criminalization and the barriers it creates for victims who need access to justice.
CCMW was one of the 20 organizations supporting SALCO’s position to say no to criminalization of forced marriages.
