Forced marriage occurs when a person is made to get married without their free and full consent. This may involve pressure, coercion, threats, manipulation, deception, or circumstances where a person is not able to understand or freely agree to the marriage. In Australia, everyone has the right to choose who, when and if they marry.
Frontline workers can play an important role in identifying potential signs of forced marriage and responding safely. These signs may include sudden changes in behaviour or school, work or social participation; increased family control over a person’s movements or decisions; anxiety about travel or an upcoming marriage; or a person expressing that they feel pressured to marry. Recognising these signs early can help professionals provide appropriate information, support, and referrals.
Forced Marriage Professional Development
Sexual Health Quarters delivered Forced Marriage Professional Development sessions across Western Australia as part of a research study delivered in partnership with The University of Western Australia (UWA) and supported by funding from the Law Society of Western Australia’s Public Purposes Trust.
Through these sessions, SHQ aimed to:
- Raise awareness of forced marriage and women’s rights in Australia.
- Highlight indicators and risk factors that may suggest a person is experiencing, or at risk of, forced marriage.
- Clarify referral pathways and available support services for professionals working with communities across Western Australia.
SHQ delivered four targeted professional development sessions: three face-to-face sessions in the Perth metro area and one online webinar. The online webinar included registered participants from regions including the Kimberley, Kununurra, Pilbara, Goldfields-Esperance, Midwest, and Darwin in the Northern Territory.
In total, 48 frontline workers took part in the training.
This training was designed for frontline workers across a wide variety of sectors, including education, youth work, social work, health promotion, sexual health, policy, community services, and academia.
Resources
Women recommended the development of a wallet card displaying where to go for help but for it to be discreet and have no identifying logos.
Front cover of wallet card
Available in Arabic, Dari, English and Hindi.
This webinar aimed to raise awareness of forced marriage and women’s rights in Australia. Highlight indicators and risk factors of forced marriage. Clarify forced marriage referral pathways and available support services for professionals working with communities across Western Australia.
SHQ works to empower people to realise their sexual and reproductive rights which include the right to decide when and whom to marry.
SHQ also acknowledges My Blue Sky and Anti-Slavery Australia for their publicly available forced marriage information and frontline worker resources, which supported this work.
Acknowledgements
SHQ acknowledges The University of Western Australia (UWA) as the project research partner and the Law Society of Western Australia’s Public Purposes Trust for funding support.
