Carl I. Hagen is interviewed in Dagbladet today. Referring to government passivity towards forced marriages among young immigrants, (documented in a highly recommendable book from Human Rights Service):

They're passive to the fact that young female Norwegian citizens are raped on their wedding night. They're supposed to show bloodstained sheets after intercourse, as proof that they have been virgins. Then it's correct to call it rape though it formally takes place on the wedding night.

To describe sex in forced marriages as rape requires a somewhat expanded definition, and I'm not sure I would agree to that in cultures where forced/arranged marriages are the norm. But in our culture, where marriage is voluntary, and many immigrant girls grow up with an expectation or at least an awareness of their right to choose their own husbands, there's no question that a forced marriage is a crime closely related to kidnapping, slavery and rape. We should treat it as a light form of that, not merely a bad kind of marriage, (which tricks us because the word "marriage" has mostly positive connotations, so even a "forced marriage" doesn't sound all that bad).

But Bjorn, if you question these things, are you not a racist?

Feh.

It is not all that long ago that arranged marriages were the norm among people of property in the West. Think of Di and Chuck in England...

"Forced" and "Arranged" are not at all the same thing...

forced marriage is a form of rape because these women are forced into a situation that they dont want to be in to there having sex with someone they just met and are not interested in. how can this not be called rape. rape is forcing a women to have sex without her consent.

I just thought of an analogy. Forced marriage is a form of rape because the woman is not giving her consent. Imagine that homosexual marriage is legal. (Maybe it already is.) Now imagine, as a man, how you would feel if you were forced to be the bride in this situation. There's no "maybe" here. You would feel raped.

What do you think of arranged marriages?
Technically, there is no pressure.
But since there is no concept of dating, even economically independent girls(like me!- i went to law school in new york!) feel the pressure.
Slowly, oozing in.. I blog on this.

I am currently writing a thesis on this topic, and I agree that it is rape if the woman is forced. However, in some cases, the marriage is not consumated on the wedding night. Rather the man waits until she is "willing" by beating her or using other threats. And usually, the woman eventually accepts her fate and gives in. Technically, this is not rape, it seems more like a messed up form of prostitution.

Hello Sarah,

"Rather the man waits until she is "willing" by beating her or using other threats. And usually, the woman eventually accepts her fate and gives in. Technically, this is not rape, it seems more like a messed up form of prostitution...."

I'm not sure i can agree with this statement...rape is rape...it involves both a physical and a mental or psychological dimension...coercion and threat to the victim resulting in her eventual violation by the perpetrator still constitutes 'rape'!!!. Prostitution usually involves the extra element of monetary compensation and a minimum of volition on the part of the female ( again she could have been coerced ....so yes there is also an element of 'rape' in such transactions.

I believe i would not be far from wrong to categorize or rather characterize Forced Marriage as a form of institutionalized rape..sanctioned in part by customs, traditions and the priestly castes of evil religions ...especially religions of the 'jealous god ' types --- in especial Issssslam !

Sister Ayesha Nyanaponika Kim
أخت عائشة نيانيابونيكا كيم

Bjoern,
methinks your moving type anti-spam RoboCop strategy is not working very well to filter out them pesky *@#$%!!##**** verdammnt, verflucht und forpult spammers !!! :)....you need something more industrial grade and heavy duty to get at them inshaallah !!!;)

http://noircygnus.com/wwwboard/messages/143.html complimentwhosewondered

Trackback URL: /cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/331