Raval Association frees a girl from a forced marriage in Pakistan
She was forced to marry a cousin from Pakistan. She suffered assaults for refusing and found refuge at the ACESOP centre in the Raval.
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In 2021, Anisa was deceived and sent from Barcelona to Pakistan. There, after suffering physical assaults, she ended up signing a forced marriage. She managed to flee back to Barcelona and contact the Association of Pakistani Women (ACESOP) anonymously in the Raval district.
At the association's premises she found refuge to avoid reprisals from her community and to manage the complaint. She is still living in hiding and under protection in a village near Barcelona.
The founder of ACESOP, Huma Jamshed, alerted the police. The officers acted and arrested Anisa's father in May 2023. He was accused of human trafficking, document forgery and facilitating irregular immigration. The idea behind forced marriages like these is for the man to obtain papers to move to Spain.
Annulment of marriage in Pakistan
ACESOP's second success has been securing a judge in Pakistan to annul the marriage. The justice system in Pakistan does not allow marriages against a woman's will, but its application is highly uneven across the country. The judge's decision breaks any ties with her cousin in Pakistan and gives her free rein to marry her fiancé.
The reality of forced marriages in Catalonia
Although forced marriages are prohibited, the reality is that this practice remains a serious problem. According to data from the Generalitat, nearly 200 cases have been recorded over the past fifteen years.
The lack of denunciations and social pressure within certain communities make it difficult for the authorities to intervene and rescue the victims. Huma Jamshed, leader of the Operative Cultural, Educational and Social Association of Pakistani Women (ACESOP), warns that Every week they receive at least one new case of forced marriage..
Institutional neglect
ACESOP denounces the contradiction of the Catalan authorities' inaction in the face of forced marriages and other situations experienced by women. In the name of respect for cultural diversity, they seem to turn a blind eye to a serious violation of human rights such as forced marriages.
The association criticises that, despite the existing laws, in many cases these practices are allowed to continue without a firm response.
The same situation Leisure organisations in the Raval denounce who see the girls disappearing from neighbourhood activities. The situation, made public, has been met with silence by the council, which says it respects the cultural peculiarities of the communities.
More Perceptions of
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