Journey to an unwanted wedding

Twenty-something Fahmida has chosen to isolate herself from her family. Every day for a few hours she leaves her shelter, a Barcelona women's help center, to study. She tries to live a normal life. And although the solitude is painful, she has not wanted to see her parents since last year, when they tried to force her to marry a cousin who lives in Punjab, where the family is from - as are, in fact, the majority of Pakistanis who have settled in Catalonia.

"They brought her to Pakistan under false pretenses, with the classic excuse of a family visit. And they arranged a wedding with her cousin. But she grew up in Barcelona and she wasn't going along with it," says the head of the Association of Pakistani Women, Azra Asim.

"She grew up in Barcelona and she wasn't going along with the marriage"

Of the 12 cases registered by police so far this year, half involve minors

Fahmida's parents later turned to the association, asking them to speak to their daughter because they felt remorse and were no longer going to force her to marry against her will. But it was too late. "We tried, but right now she doesn't want anything to do with them," Asim says.

Forced marriages, which have been fought against for a decade in countries such as Norway and the United Kingdom, are emerging as a stark reality in Spain. Above all in Catalonia, where the government has drafted a protocol to prevent the non-consensual unions that cause unhappiness and suffering for hundreds of adult women and teenagers. In many cases, the victims also suffer years of threats and attacks. Since June 2009, the Catalan police have responded to 40 alleged victims of forced marriages. "This is only the tip of the iceberg," warns the head of the regional government's program against domestic violence, Alba García.

Fahmida's unwanted wedding, to a cousin who lives 9,000 kilometers away, was close to becoming reality, but the young woman's bravery ensured her freedom. In Barcelona, her father sounded her out, but she flatly rejected the idea - among other reasons, because she did not want to get married to someone she barely knew, and because "she was already in a relationship with a Catalan boy," Asim explains. Upon arrival in Pakistan, "they took away her papers," and found that, to her regret, the wedding "had been set for the next day." Her father's reasoning is oft-repeated in the mostly Asian and African countries - with Muslim majorities - where this custom remains: marry for the sake of the family's honor. Instead of buckling to her father's coercion, Fahmida contacted the Spanish Embassy, as she has double citizenship, and was able to return to Barcelona a few days later.

Fahmida is unable to tell her story in the first person, because she is still at risk. "Forced marriage is invisible, just like gender violence was years ago," says García. A Unicef study has found that 60 million girls are potential victims of the practice, which is commonplace in around 100 countries. But forced marriages affect adults as well as children. Of the 12 cases registered by Catalan police so far this year, half involve minors.

In Spain, as in most countries, forcing a person to get married is not a crime. García is seeking a change to the law that would allow the offense to be covered by the Penal Code. But just because it is not an official crime does not mean that it cannot be persecuted. In the case of minors, child protection provides the necessary tools. Some Gypsy adolescents whose cases are being investigated by the police fall under this category. For adults, it can be prosecuted with charges of coercion, kidnapping, threat, or, generally, domestic violence.

"It is a custom that persists, especially in rural areas and among poorly educated families. It is a question of honor," says Asim. And in addition, there is the pressure from the family, the risk of undermining family relationships, the controlling of female sexuality and the concept of protecting one's culture and traditions. The daughters of immigrants, young people who were born and raised in Spain and are fully integrated within society, question the system. And this creates contradictions at home.

"Today people are smarter; they have internet access... The kids know what they want. And they know they are free to choose," says Asim. Although many are turning to the authorities, the potential breaking of family ties that this would involve prompts many to think twice.

Associations fighting for the rights of immigrants and women, as well as health and education professionals, also play their part. One Red Cross worker got the impression that one particular woman was a victim of this situation and contacted the Interior Ministry. A high school teacher did the same thing after hearing about a trip planned for one of her students, ostensibly to travel abroad to celebrate a wedding. On the last day of school she alerted the Catalan police, but they were unable to prevent the young girl's journey, which was to end in an unwanted marriage.