Germany Proposing A Bill To Criminalize Forced Marriages

There's a subtle difference between 'arranged' and 'forced' marriages. As far as I can tell with an 'arranged' marriage there is some choice involved. Suitors are chosen, a potential couple meets and if they decide they like each other the marriage is arranged. With a 'forced' marriage there is no such choice. A mate is chosen for the woman and she's stuck with it, like it or not. The most horrendous aspect of some forced marriages is the girl's age, this is where the 12-year-old girls are forced into marrying men who are sometimes older than their grandfathers. An unconscionable practice regardless of age since God gave us free will and choice, and to force an individual to marry is just plain wrong.

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Germany is, however, taking a step towards curtailing the practice by proposing a bill that would criminalize forced marriages, and offenders could land themselves in jail for up to five years if they violate the law.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet agreed to the proposed law which will now go to parliament before it can be passed.

Of course, I'm sure there will be the usual outcry from the various interest groups and Osama Bin Laden will threaten Germany as they have France (for its burqa ban), but

sometimes these things are done for the good of the people, and anyone who thinks a 'forced' marriage is a good thing needs their heads examined.

I'm not sure there will be a distinction between the two, although there should be, but there are some inherent problems with enforcing the law amongst the immigrant families in Germany who practice 'forced marriages', in spite of the fact that many of them have been raised in the country.

But the German government is not happy with the situation.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said: 'Forced marriages are a serious problem in Germany. He added that it was 'a tradition from olden times or different culture that is... not tolerable'.

Germany has approximately 4.3 million Muslims living there and the practice is mostly prevalent with the Arabs and Turks. And although no-one knows the actual amount of people who have been forced into marriage, the DailyMail UK claims that according to rights groups in Germany the younger generation are not too happy about the tradition, especially amongst those who have assimilated into Western society. For them, this proposed law will be a great thing.

Of course, criminalizing it won't prevent those marriages from taking place abroad and, in fact, Germany is becoming more lenient when it comes to foreign marriages.

The government also proposed modifying general immigration law to ease an existing restriction in immigrants who are forced into arranged marriages overseas.

Such immigrants often lose their residency status in Germany if they are kept out of the country for more than six months.

Under the proposed law, so-called 'vacation brides' would receive an unlimited right to return to Germany if they have lived there for at least eight years and attended school for six years.

Those who have spent less time there would also be able to return, provided they could prove they were well integrated into Germany.

But human rights groups like Forum Menschenrechte don't believe that these laws protect the women enough.

For example, it said women who are brought to Germany from Turkey and forced to marry a Turkish immigrant need more protection.

Currently, if these women manage to get a divorce during the first three years of their time in Germany, they are automatically deported to their home country, unless they can prove they suffered a special hardship in their relationship.

As long as people live in the West, they are going to have to get used to Westerners looking out for their rights, whether they like it or not.