A young Pakistani woman was forced to marry her cousin and decided to flee to the Raval Pakistani Women’s Association headquarters in Barcelona, Spain. There she was welcomed and hidden for about five days.
After recording the woman, who still feared for her life, the association called the police, who managed to arrest the young woman’s father. The site’s president and founder, Huma Jamshed, told local newspapers how the young woman was hidden for several days.
The case happened when the father decided to enter into an arranged marriage with his daughter’s cousin. The man’s main motivation was to get married in order to obtain a visa for the family member, since the young woman was already living legally in Spain.
For example, the father used threats and physical force to force his daughter to sign a document and initiated the marriage to the father’s nephew, who was still living in Pakistan.
Huma told the Postal news portal that the young woman was afraid of reprisals and therefore needed protection. The president of the association has been fighting for the rights of Pakistani women in Barcelona since 2005 and did not hesitate to offer the young woman shelter.
Another fact that shocked people was that in 2021, the father had already carried out the forced marriage of another daughter. In addition, the victim himself experienced other situations of forced marriage attempts and aggression. However, due to the injuries sustained, the wedding could not take place.
According to news portals in Spain and Portugal, the man was accused of the crimes of human trafficking, cooperation with illegal immigration and document forgery.
The young woman’s father went through a custody hearing and was then released to answer at liberty for the previous crimes. In addition, a restraining order has been issued preventing him from approaching his daughters and wife.
The young woman is finally safe and far away from her father’s plans. However, her case is representative of many other ailments suffered by women around the world.
For many centuries, arranged marriage was a practice undertaken for reasons of finance, status, or other family benefits. This ancient tradition still influences the fate of countless women who remain invisible and without the right to vote.