Consequences of Arranged/Forced Marriage

Yackleyn Dominguez

Suicide is becoming  a very common thing among young women between the ages of 15-24. In specific cultures arrange marriage is part of their tradition, but these girls are being forced to marry men who are way older than  them and to someone that they do not love. These girls live a very unhappy life, they are forced to change their whole life style. From being a young school girl they go to becoming a wife and even a mother. They are being deprived from their childhood. They are not given the choice to marry whom they want. Many of these girls who are being forced to marry end up committing suicide. In the article “ Where Arrange Marriages are Customary, Suicides Grow More Common” by Tim Arango, published June 6, 2012, the author talks about how the rate of suicide due to being forced to marry has increased tremendously in Sinjar, Iraq. Also Arrango talks about how the media  influences these women’s thoughts of committing suicide. They see how around the world other women live their life, and enjoy it, and are very happy. These women get depressed seeing how other women live happily, while they are being forced to be with someone whom they do not love.

Some people believe that committing suicide it is based in a mental disorder, but as shown forced marriage is a big contributor to suicide. Suicide seems to be the only escape that these women find from their unhappy lives. Due to arrange marriage being a very important tradition it is less likely that there will be a stop to it, but the suicide rate is increasing tremendously that it might make a difference on the whole concept of arranged marriage. In the scholarly Journal “Suicide And Forced Marriage” by Pridmore and Garry the phrase  “ ‘… predicament suicide’ is referred to when suicide is viewed as a response to intolerable circumstances,” in many cases women are mistreated mentally, emotionally, and physically ( Pridmore, Garry). Men are always in control, and these women have little rights.

Arranged married is forced marriage. Usually there is a distinction between both, in arranged marriage there is a choice of acceptance among both sides, rather than in forced marriage where there is no choice. It is clear that arranged marriage is forced marriage because women are not allowed to have a choice, they are forced into an arranged marriage.

http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/cv_790453/docview/756737393/A6A95EE57444224PQ/7?accountid=12902

The only way for the suicide rate to decrease would be by putting a complete stop to arrange/forced marriage. These girls just like any one else deserve to choice who they want to spend the rest of their life with, it isn’t fair for them to be forced to be with someone, their life are being chosen by other people. Suicide is the only answer that they find.