{"id":18786,"date":"2020-11-23T09:27:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-23T08:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/intombi.de\/blog\/love-who-you-want-but-what-if-you-dont-have-a-free-choice\/"},"modified":"2021-08-05T10:02:09","modified_gmt":"2021-08-05T08:02:09","slug":"love-who-you-want-but-what-if-you-dont-have-a-free-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intombi.de\/en\/blog\/love-who-you-want-but-what-if-you-dont-have-a-free-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"Love who you want! – But what if you don’t have a free choice?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Photo: Tabitha<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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I laughed with her, danced with her and took her into my heart. I looked forward to seeing her every day. But after the vacations, she just didn’t come back. I wonder if this little girl had to drop out of school because she was promised in marriage. During my year abroad in Malawi, Southeast Africa, I had to let this girl go. My heart bleeds when I think about the fact that girls are also forcibly married here in Germany. In this article I will give you an insight into the modern form of slavery and introduce you to a special woman who fights every day for a free choice of partner and against violence.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Hey, I’m Tabitha (23 years old from Paderborn)<\/strong>, I’m studying social work and during my internship at Engagement Global<\/a><\/strong> in the D\u00fcsseldorf office, I’ve been working a lot on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. The SDGs <\/strong>aim to solve global challenges together. They are about socially, economically and ecologically sustainable development<\/strong>, for all countries <\/strong>equally. These 17 goals range from the eradication of global poverty to the goal of quality education and climate protection measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I am committed to Goal 5, gender equality<\/strong>, because I am passionate about the fact that we, girls and women, can make a difference together<\/strong>. We need to stand up for equality because we too have the right to live our lives freely<\/strong>. Our dreams are worth living. This also includes the free choice of a partner. Forced marriage<\/strong> is a highly relevant issue in many countries today, including Germany,<\/strong> and is unfortunately addressed far too little<\/strong>. Forced marriage is the modern form of slavery.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Every girl and every woman has the right to live a life of self-determination. A life without physical and psychological violence must be possible. Every girl must be able to decide for herself whom she wants to marry, when and if she wants to marry at all.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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UNICEF estimates that approximately twelve million girls worldwide are married off before their 18th birthday annually<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In addition to disrespecting the rights of women and girls, child marriage is also a violation of children’s rights<\/strong>. Child marriages are common throughout Malawi. During my year abroad, I was at a confirmation where over 500 girls and boys were confirmed<\/strong>. Many of them were under 15 years old<\/strong> . One reason is the possibility of being able to marry then.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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What is forced marriage and how often does it happen in Germany?<\/strong><\/a>Weiterlesen<\/a><\/div><\/div>

In a forced marriage, a young daughter or son is forced into a marriage by their parents or family. In the process, the respective spouse is also determined by the family. <\/strong>This is usually done with the help of violence and threats to the spouses<\/strong> or one of the couples. A refusal often does not find a listening <\/strong>ear or the daughter or son does not dare to defend himself. Forced marriage is a punishable offense (Section 237 of the Criminal Code). Attempting a forced marriage and taking someone abroad for a forced marriage are also punishable<\/strong>.In 2019, 74 cases of forced marriage<\/strong> were recorded by the police. A 2017 study shows 570 cases of attempted or actual forced marriage in just Berlin. The number of unreported cases is estimated to be ten times higher (around 6000 cases)<\/strong>. The last and so far only representative study on forced marriage in the Federal Republic of Germany was published in 2011. It shows that 3,443 people sought counselling in counselling centres in 2008<\/strong> (of which 60% were threatened by a forced marriage and 40% subject for an executed forced marriage). This also suggests a large number of unreported cases, since not all of those who are affected by forced marriage report the offense or dare to turn to a counselling centre.The fact that there are no current statistics makes it difficult to really grasp how many girls and boys are threatened and affected by forced marriage today<\/strong> and how this act of violence can be countered, including at the political level.(Source: Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth ; Statista; Der Tagesspiegel).<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Why are girls and women and also boys and men forcibly married? Here come some causes:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n