The Home Office through its Forced Marriage Unit reports that there are around 10,000 forced marriages per year - 8,000 women and 2,000 men - 80%/20%. The BBC reported the situation about men a few years back.
Today it was pre-announced that this barbaric practice was to become illegal (previously it was only an issue in the civil courts, bizarrely) with a full announcement to be made tomorrow (Friday).
However, when you look at the reporting, suddenly those 2,000 men disappear. A clear case of discrimination by ommission against men.
The Press Association only mention 8,000 women which is hugely damaging because often local papers and others just copy and paste the Press Association story. Ed Thomas produces a BBC film that just talks about women even though they previously ran a story about it as highlighted above. ITN do the same.
But is this omission driven by the government forgetting that male victioms exist (even though it is their own figures that state 20% of victims are men - page 26 of this report).The Daily Mail reports the Home Secretary is just stating 8,000 women - has she forgotten the other 2,000?
Also tomorrow the Home Secretary is "expected to announce a £500,000 fund to help schools and other agencies know how to spot early signs of a forced marriage. A Government advertising campaign will also aim to highlight the right to choose who you marry." Will that just aimed at women and girls? Will these campaigns not mention men and boys?
Well let's wait and see what is said tomorrow but if the government follows the media lead then men who are forced into marriage will remain the second class victims in this issue. Ignored and swept under a carpet solely because of their gender - almost as if forced marriage is OK for men but not women?
Posted by Skimmington
Well spotted Skimmington. Let us not forget, repeat, repeat, repeat the message everywhere, anywhere and always.
Men are human beings too. Prick us do we not bleed.
Posted by: ian | Friday, 08 June 2012 at 00:25
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2155882/Former-soldier-took-penny-pinching-NHS-bosses-fight-life-saving-drug-dies-terminal-cancer-aged-37.html?ITO=1490
I wonder if they will let his Son go in Race for life when he grows up?
Posted by: ian | Friday, 08 June 2012 at 11:05
I know I'm a stuck record on this but the real culprit in the mis quotation of the official statistics is the power of the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. This governmental strategy effectively appropriates issues for the "feminist" cause. Quite obviously many forced marriages involve boys and girls subject to their parent's power and the Home office and two charities involved do recognise at least a fifth and possibly a third of victims coming forward are male. Yet these are ignored in the context of a Strategy determined to re cast this as an issue for women. On a very much reduced scale it reflects the process, described by Erin Pizzey and others, whereby a high profile issue is appropriated for an ideological purpose. Very much to the detriment of actual victims.
Posted by: Groan | Friday, 08 June 2012 at 15:22
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2156547/Cannabis-smoking-mother-smothered-seven-month-old-daughter-suffering-delusions.html?ITO=1490
As typical the media/commenters/her friends do everything to excuse/blame her behaviour on the man or the "usual excuses" like Post natal depression (a classic ruse)and treat her as a victim?
Posted by: dave | Friday, 08 June 2012 at 21:29
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2156324/Harvey-Nichols-spark-outrage-disgusting-advertising-campaign-showing-women-wetting-themselves.html?ITO=1490
So why the "outrage" only at women being depicted in these adverts when there is clearly a man also?
Posted by: dave | Friday, 08 June 2012 at 21:41
dave, I agree, once again it is the MEDIA that has neglected to mention in their headline or story that men, too, are included in the advertising campaign. It follows that anyone reading this would be led to believe that it only matters that WOMEN deserve more respect and MEN don't qualify for that same level of respect. That's what disgusts me, not the adverts!
If all of those adverts contained only men then I assure you that no woman on this planet would complain. Which kind of supports my view that, collectively, women in general actually allow/support disrespect towards men.
Posted by: Dave | Saturday, 09 June 2012 at 00:00
As you say Groan its the parents who are the ones forcing marriage on both their sons and daughters. I would question these statistics that say 20% of men are victims. I think it is much higher.
Marriage is 50% men and 50% women, so if only 20% of victims are men are they saying that the most of the sons pick out their wives to-be, whose parents then force these women to marry them? I doubt it. It will be the parents on both sides who decide (arrange) who their child marries be they son or daughter.
Its just our western media who genderise this into a feminist issue by focusing on women. The truth is that is is not a gender issue at all but purely, as it says, about forced or "arranged" marriage.
Posted by: Bob | Saturday, 09 June 2012 at 09:53
Most of the Men are having to go along with the marriages themselves, so it is far more likley to be 50/50. We all know the politicians and media only mention the females because it is on message with the agenda. This shows their usual lack of care for Men and the overall attitude towards placing women above men simply because they are women. Look what good that attitude has done this Country (in fact the west) over the last 50 years.
Posted by: ian | Saturday, 09 June 2012 at 18:05
Bob (above, comment) is dead to rights. In any 'forced' marriage, there is a man being forced too.
Posted by: Amfortas | Sunday, 01 July 2012 at 03:59
This reveals their regular deficit of proper take care of Men and the overall mind-set towards putting females above men simply because they are females.
Posted by: Counseling Jacksonville fl | Wednesday, 04 July 2012 at 11:18